Getty Justin Lewis #10 during pre game introduction
The Chicago Bulls turned heads when they signed former Marquette University standout Justin Lewis to a two-way contract following the 2022 NBA Draft. Many were surprised that Lewis went undrafted after showing growth in his second collegiate season.
Lewis was named first-team All-Big East and Most Improved Player in the conference.
Standing 6-foot-7, at 232 pounds, and possessing a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Lewis has the measurables to go along with healthy production at the collegiate level.
It was likely always going to take some time to see his impact translated to the NBA level. But a torn ACL has put Lewis’ push to the Association on hold as he recovers. He took to Instagram following that surgery to share an update and send out a very special message to Bulls (and Marquette) fans.
Lewis Shouts Out Fans
Lewis tore his ACL during a private workout while away from the team in early August. After initial reports speculated about the severity, the Bulls confirmed that the 21-year-old indeed tore the ligament and would require surgery leaving him out for the year.
Well, Lewis was finally able to have that surgery – several weeks after the injury occurred and was announced – and gave thanks to his supporters through what he calls a “minor setback”.
He also made a valiant promise.
”August 6 , 2022 I Suffered a Torn ACL…. Not What I Envisioned Entering My First Year In The League! “Most of The Time When It Rains It Start Pouring, But How We Grind It Make The Weather Change For Us”!! From The Trenches I’ve Been Weathering Storms My Whole Life !💯 Shoutout to everyone who reached out! I’ll Be Back Soon🖤 #RoadToRecovery#Godspeed #LLFerb”
Lewis’ message got a response from fellow rookie and Bulls teammate, Dalen Terry, who replied “ShakeBaxkkkk!” urging the downed youngster on his road to recovery.
It will be interesting to see what the Bulls decide to do with Lewis’ two-way contract.
Lewis ‘Not NBA Ready’
Lewis averaged 16.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 steals en route to his Most Improved designation. But he could muster a modest line of 7.0/4.4/1.2 during summer league play in Las Vegas.
This led one rival NBA executive to say that Lewis was not yet “NBA ready”.
“He is a guy who has gotten better as time has gone on and he plays a game that should translate well to the NBA,” the executive told Heavy’s Sean Deveney. “But are you going to throw him to the wolves right off the bat behind [Patrick] Williams? He is not ready for that…I like Lewis but they can’t go into the year counting on him to get big minutes off the bench.”
Lewis’s shot was among the reasons the executive felt Lewis needed more time.
But, given the injury history of some of the players in front of him – namely Williams who missed all but 17 games last season – there was some hope that he could get a look, perhaps, on nights when some guys rested.
Timetable for Lewis
Lewis’ vow to return “soon” is valiant and shows his competitive spirit. But the ACL is, typically, a 6-to-9 month injury. That would put Lewis on pace to get back on the floor sometime between the beginning of March and the end of May in 2023.
By then, the Bulls will be heading down the homestretch of the regular season either gearing up for a playoff run or preparing for a tough offseason on the shorter end.
The entire 2022-23 campaign will be over If Lewis’ recovery takes the full nine months.
As we have seen with Lonzo Ball’s injury, timetables can be fairly meaningless. Here’s to hoping for a speedy recovery for one of this rookie class’ sneakier prospects.