New Orleans Pelicans guard Kira Lewis Jr. tore his ACL and suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain on Wednesday, the team announced Thursday. The knee injuries occurred during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets, and, while the official statement referred to him as “out indefinitely,” this is a season-ending diagnosis.
Lewis, 20, was the No. 13 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and this season had splitting the backcourt minutes in the second unit with Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Tomas Satoransky. He appeared in 24 games, averaging 5.9 points, 2.0 assists and 1.6 rebounds.
In Lewis’ absence, his 14.2 minutes per game will likely fall to Alexander-Walker and Satoransky.
Injuries have defined the Pelicans’ season. While wing Josh Hart returned from a knee injury in their 120-114 loss to the Nuggets on Tuesday, they continue to be without franchise player Zion Williamson, who has missed the entire season because of a foot injury and had a setback last week. New Orleans went winless in the seven-game stretch that started in late October with Brandon Ingram sidelined because of a hip injury, and its 7-20 record is the worst in the Western Conference.
