The Arizona Wildcats are expected to be one of the best teams in the country once again.
They return Caleb Love and a plethora of other stars, while also adding talented players through the transfer portal who should have them competing for a Big 12 title in their first year in the conference.
Things could have looked much different for head coach Tommy Lloyd had things worked out in another way since Love was seriously considering turning professional, and the duo of Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis entered their names into the NBA draft.
But while the 2023-24 Pac-12 Player of the Year was truly thinking about leaving the program, the other two never went through the professional process with that thought in mind.
“For me, it was just definitely learning about what they need to see, what I need to improve on for myself and the team. I kind of already had it in the back of my mind that I was going to come back. It was just getting that feedback and getting that experience, so for whether (I leave) next year or the year after, I’m already prepared for it,” Lewis said per Bruce Pascoe of The Arizona Daily Star.
The 6-foot-4 sophomore guard still has plenty to prove coming off his averages of 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest in 18.3 minutes.
Last season, he appeared in all 36 games, but didn’t receive a start, something that is expected to change during this campaign.
Lewis is the more highly-touted prospect with his first round projection compared to Bradley, but that doesn’t mean the former Alabama transfer isn’t someone who also had to weigh professional options of his own before he decided to come back to Tucson.
“It was just kind of seeing that whole process so after the season, I can already be ready for what’s ahead,” he said when discussing why he entered his name into the NBA draft.
Bradley is also expected to have a much larger role this season after he averaged 7.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game across the 36 contests he appeared in.
If Arizona is going to achieve the high-end success they’re searching for this year, Lewis and Bradley will need to have taken their games to the next level, something that could result in both turning professional at the conclusion of the season.
