Justin Lewis -- 1st-round draft pick?

[cheebs09]

I think even if he’s early second round, he should probably go. I’ve sort of resigned myself to the fact he will declare.

It seems like he’s worked really hard to get here and happy to see it paying off. Hopefully he finished the year strong.

[BM1090]

He would have a better chance sticking in the NBA long term by staying at MU another year.

You see a lot of talent get drafted and fade away at a young age in the G League.  Getting drafted is awesome, but he would get drafted next year too.  Getting drafted when ready gives you a better chance to contribute right away which helps you stick around.

His defense is FAR from NBA ready.  That's the issue at the moment for him.

Or he stays another year, his defense doesn’t improve, he’s a year older, and he falls out of the first round. If he gets a first round guarantee, he should go regardless of if he is ready or not.

[Viper]

He would have a better chance sticking in the NBA long term by staying at MU another year.

You see a lot of talent get drafted and fade away at a young age in the G League.  Getting drafted is awesome, but he would get drafted next year too.  Getting drafted when ready gives you a better chance to contribute right away which helps you stick around.

His defense is FAR from NBA ready.  That's the issue at the moment for him.

yours, and mine, are minority opinions. Is JL a 3 or 4 in the NBA? Is JL better than, say, a Sam Hauser? Sam went undrafted but is on the Celtics 15-man roster. Currently I’d say JL is a 2nd rd pick. Someone here said SI has him at 38, I believe. That’s most likely a non-guaranteed deal. How many of you would go if a 2nd rounder?…unless college classes are no longer of interest.

[We R Final Four]

Or he stays another year, his defense doesn’t improve, he’s a year older, and he falls out of the first round. If he gets a first round guarantee, he should go regardless of if he is ready or not.

There is no such thing as a first round guarantee for guys projected 20-40.

[GoldenEagles03]

Or he stays another year, his defense doesn’t improve, he’s a year older, and he falls out of the first round. If he gets a first round guarantee, he should go regardless of if he is ready or not.

I hope he gets drafted in the 1st round! I just would be surprised if he was picked in the 1st round this year.

Hard not to improve defensively under Shaka and Justin is still just 19.  I would hate to see him get drafted and have to develop in the G League where you are kinda on your own.

Development at a College Progam is far superior to that of the G League because people actually are invested into your development.  An NBA team can just draft another guy to replace you if you aren't developing well in the G League.

Money now is important though, I get it.  Staying at school is more of an investment and that's not for everyone.

[Big Papi]

yours, and mine, are minority opinions. Is JL a 3 or 4 in the NBA? Is JL better than, say, a Sam Hauser? Sam went undrafted but is on the Celtics 15-man roster. Currently I’d say JL is a 2nd rd pick. Someone here said SI has him at 38, I believe. That’s most likely a non-guaranteed deal. How many of you would go if a 2nd rounder?…unless college classes are no longer of interest.

If it's your dream to play in the NBA, I would declare if I knew I was for sure a second round pick with a chance at being picked in the first round.  He will have a long basketball career.  Hopefully in the NBA.

[BM1090]

There is no such thing as a first round guarantee for guys projected 20-40.

There absolutely is. Teams guarantee guys they will take them if available at their pick slot. All it takes is one team in the 24-30 range to love him.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

There is no such thing as a first round guarantee for guys projected 20-40.

Not true.

[mu_hilltopper]

Not sure who is a better comparison for 6-7 Lewis .. compare and contrast him to Wes Matthews or Jae Crowder, both of whom made it to their senior year at MU.

Will Lewis fare as well as either of them in the NBA?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Not sure who is a better comparison for 6-7 Lewis .. compare and contrast him to Wes Matthews or Jae Crowder, both of whom made it to their senior year at MU.

Will Lewis fare as well as either of them in the NBA?

Most will not fare as well as either Mattews are Crowder. Can still make plenty of cash if they don't

[MU82]

Lewis "should" do what he wants to do. Period.

His dunk shows why NBA teams might be high on him. 20-year-old kid with long arms who can make athletic plays and has an "I want the ball" mentality.

[Viper]

If it's your dream to play in the NBA, I would declare if I knew I was for sure a second round pick with a chance at being picked in the first round.  He will have a long basketball career.  Hopefully in the NBA.

it’s probably every basketball playing kid to someday ball in the NBA. But…hopefully & 2nd rd pick…if he’s my kid my advice would be, if a for-sure 1st rounder, yes, go go go. Anything short, play another year at Marquette.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

it’s probably every basketball playing kid to someday ball in the NBA. But…hopefully & 2nd rd pick…if he’s my kid my advice would be, if a for-sure 1st rounder, yes, go go go. Anything short, play another year at Marquette.

And if your kid or his draft status gets hurt, then you would have given him bad advice.

The only guarantee if you don't go pro when you have a reasonable shot of getting drafted is one less year of income as a basketball player (though NIL could help offset this in some cases). Sometimes staying is the right decision,  more often it's not,  and sometimes the outcome is the same either way. There's no scenario where Justin staying is the obvious right choice

[Herman Cain]

This is a summary of the last Ten Years (since 2012) of MU Players who have had some proximity to the NBA ( Drafted, On a Roster, Or Played In G League). I think Justin  will fall somewhere on this spectrum. If I forgot anyone I apologize in advance.

Jae Crowder- Second Round Draft Pick #34- Ten Year NBA Career

DJO- Second Round Draft Pick #55  - Had Cup of Coffee in NBA, brief time in G League and then had a successful career in Europe

Vander Blue- Undrafted - Had several Cups of Coffee In NBA and signed Two Way Contract, Committed heavily to G League in an attempt to get called up, Now he is a journeyman international player playing in Mexico, Israel and Uruguay this season

Jamil Wilson- Undrafted Had several summer league invites, played successfully in G League and Europe, Played his way into NBA  and did well, unfortunately had STD issues , now back to Europe

Todd Mayo- Undrafted Made G League, Had behavior problems early on, no sightings since then

Matt Carlino- Undrafted, Made G League stayed briefly, then Spent 4 successful years in Europe, Now is a graduate assistant at TCU. Appears to have full head of hair.

John Dawson- Undrafted, Made G League 3 Consecutive Years, Not currently playing 

Juan Anderson- Undrafted , Had successful career in Latin America, Played his way into G League, Got promoted to NBA and now has earned a two year NBA contract

Henry Ellenson- First Round NBA Draft Pick #18. Spent 5 years in the NBA , going back and forth from G League, Now in Europe

Deonte Burton- Undrafted , Went to Asia, Made G League , Was called up to NBA and Played Two Years ,had fracas with teammates and was released , Now back to G League attempting to recreate himself as a point guard.

Andrew Rowsey-Invited to Summer League, Played in Europe, Made G League, playing well

Markus Howard- Undrafted , Signed Two Way Contract ,  Performing well , Currently playing on Two Way Contract

Sam Hauser- Undrafted , Signed Two Way Contract, Currently playing on Guaranteed NBA Contract

Brandon Bailey- Undrafted, Played International, Made G League

DJ Carton - Undrafted, Made G League, Showing Steady Improvement

[Viper]

And if your kid or his draft status gets hurt, then you would have given him bad advice.

The only guarantee if you don't go pro when you have a reasonable shot of getting drafted is one less year of income as a basketball player (though NIL could help offset this in some cases). Sometimes staying is the right decision,  more often it's not,  and sometimes the outcome is the same either way. There's no scenario where Justin staying is the obvious right choice

2nd rd pick. Non guarantee. Get cut. Then what? No $. No degree. Btw, if worried about the injury that ruins draft possibility, take out an insurance policy. Not that uncommon.

[GoldenEagles03]

2nd rd pick. Non guarantee. Get cut. Then what? No $. No degree. Btw, if worried about the injury that ruins draft possibility, take out an insurance policy. Not that uncommon.

Not sure on rules, but according to this article, a University can pay the premiums on a policy.  Keyontae Johnson has a $5 million option.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/32544357/florida-gators-keyontae-johnson-take-5m-insurance-payout-collapsing-court-report-says

[MU82]

2nd rd pick. Non guarantee. Get cut. Then what? No $. No degree. Btw, if worried about the injury that ruins draft possibility, take out an insurance policy. Not that uncommon.

What if, like Vander Blue after the 2012-13 season, Justin Lewis simply doesn’t want to play college basketball anymore beyond this season?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

2nd rd pick. Non guarantee. Get cut. Then what? No $. No degree. Btw, if worried about the injury that ruins draft possibility, take out an insurance policy. Not that uncommon.

2nd round pick. Non guarantee. Get cut. Get picked up by another team, sign a 2-way contract, go overseas. If you are good enough to get drafted in the second round, someone is going to pay you to play basketball provided you're healthy and not in off the court trouble. And the no degree thing don't matta. He could come back and get it if he so chose.

Insurance policies, at least significant ones, are not common amongst likely 2nd round picks. Besides, the bigger issue is your draft stock not improving while getting a year older, insurance doesn't cover that.

The only guarantee if you don't go pro when you have a reasonable shot of getting drafted is one less year of income as a basketball player. That's it. Maybe it would be better to stay, maybe it would be better to go. Maybe it doesn't matter. But there's no situation where the obvious right decision for a likely second round pick is to stay.

[GoldenEagles03]

2nd round pick. Non guarantee. Get cut. Get picked up by another team, sign a 2-way contract, go overseas. If you are good enough to get drafted in the second round, someone is going to pay you to play basketball provided you're healthy and not in off the court trouble. And the no degree thing don't matta. He could come back and get it if he so chose.

Insurance policies, at least significant ones, are not common amongst likely 2nd round picks. Besides, the bigger issue is your draft stock not improving while getting a year older, insurance doesn't cover that.

The only guarantee if you don't go pro when you have a reasonable shot of getting drafted is one less year of income as a basketball player. That's it. Maybe it would be better to stay, maybe it would be better to go. Maybe it doesn't matter. But there's no situation where the obvious right decision for a likely second round pick is to stay.

NBA caliber guys want to avoid playing overseas at all costs.  The G-League is brutal. As I've already said, you are on your own there for the most part. NBA teams can't draft to replace you if you're not developing.  College coaches especially now here at Marquette are concerned solely on your development and that is huge for a guy like Justin who was underutilized as a Freshman and is now finding his way.

Getting drafted in the 1st round guarantees you more money and gives you a much better shot at sticking in the league because you get opportunities. Sticking in the league is better than getting drafted and fading away in the G League like so many talented guys do.

I want Justin to get drafted in the 1st round because that's what's best for his career.  I think staying 1 more year at Marquette gets him drafted in the 1st round.  At the end of the day I want him to succeed as an NBA player.  Leaving early doesn't guarantee that.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

At the end of the day I want him to succeed as an NBA player.  Leaving early doesn't guarantee that.

Neither does staying another year. What it does guarantee is another year of making money as a professional basketball player. That's the only possible guarantee in this decision making process. Doesn't mean he should go. Doesn't mean he should stay. It just means that those pretending like the obvious right choice is for Justin to come back are misguided.

[GoldenEagles03]

Neither does staying another year. What it does guarantee is another year of making money as a professional basketball player. That's the only possible guarantee in this decision making process. Doesn't mean he should go. Doesn't mean he should stay. It just means that those pretending like the obvious right choice is for Justin to come back are misguided.

Justin can also make money of current and future NIL deals while also improving his game to get drafted at a higher slot getting him more guaranteed money by staying.  Not to mention possibly getting a degree that people seem to get in 3 years nowadays.

I get both sides. I just think he stands to make more money and stick in the league longer as a 1st rounder.  If he is guaranteed that this year then so be it, but I dont see that happening.

Hopefully it does, but we shall see.  If you do a search of updated NBA mock drafts he doesn't appear in a large number of them.

[bilsu]

Do any MU players have good NIL deal?

[cheebs09]

NBA caliber guys want to avoid playing overseas at all costs.  The G-League is brutal. As I've already said, you are on your own there for the most part. NBA teams can't draft to replace you if you're not developing.  College coaches especially now here at Marquette are concerned solely on your development and that is huge for a guy like Justin who was underutilized as a Freshman and is now finding his way.

Getting drafted in the 1st round guarantees you more money and gives you a much better shot at sticking in the league because you get opportunities. Sticking in the league is better than getting drafted and fading away in the G League like so many talented guys do.

Isn’t this idea of the G-League a little outdated? Now that teams have their own affiliated teams, there’s more investment into the players. Also, with the use of Two-Way contracts, the G-League is much more than the half-hearted minor league it was when it started.

[1SE]

Has someone gif'ed that putback yet?

[MU82]

Isn’t this idea of the G-League a little outdated? Now that teams have their own affiliated teams, there’s more investment into the players. Also, with the use of Two-Way contracts, the G-League is much more than the half-hearted minor league it was when it started.

Yes, you beat me to it. Today's G League is nothing like its precursor, the developmental league. Every NBA team has assigned a full coaching and development staff to its G League team, and the players get a significant amount of 1-on-1 attention.

For example, the Hornets' affiliate in Greensboro (where DJ Carton plays) has a head coach, 3 assistants (including former NBA player Donyell Marshall), a director of player development, a strength and conditioning coach, a player development coach, a trainer, and three "basketball operations" people.

So DJ gets to work a lot on his game, and it shows. After struggling for his first couple months, here are his stats for February: 13.3 ppg on 48% shooting, 4.8 rebs, 4.4 asst, 1.4 stl. Will he ever be an NBA player? Maybe or maybe not - he isn't shooting well enough from 3, for one thing - but he'll be able to make money playing basketball for a decade if that's what he wants.

And you're right about 2-way contracts, too. Those have been game-changers for lots of young players since they came into existence a few years ago. For instance, Both Markus and Sam have benefited tremendously from them.

For some players at some schools, NIL money might be an attractive alternative to the G League or Europe. We'll see about that as time goes on. I don't think Lewis makes enough NIL money for it to influence him at all.

D.J. clearly didn't want to stay in college another year. Neither did Vander. Neither did Bailey. Neither do lots and lots of guys who "aren't ready" for the NBA. It's great that they have a viable option.

Staying an extra season didn't help Markus at all from a basketball perspective -- he was basically the same player he was as a junior, there actually were some MU "fans" who blamed him for the team not winning bigger, Covid ended up wiping out any shot at an NCAAT win, and he simply went another year without making $$$. Hopefully, his experience as a student and member of the Marquette community made him glad he stayed.

As for Justin ... not a single person here knows what he's thinking. Maybe he loves-loves-loves his college/Marquette experience so much that he'll only leave if he gets strong info that he'll be a first-round draft pick. Or maybe he's enjoying this season but really doesn't see himself staying for a third year of college.

What I want for Justin is to do what his heart, gut, head and wallet tell him is best for him. And I hope he's surrounded himself with advisers who place his interests first.

Otherwise, none of us should pretend to know what's "best" for him.