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For Trey Lewis, NBA dreams will have to be put on hold for another year

By Jacob Lane

DURHAM, NC - FEBRUARY 08: Head coach Rick Pitino talks to Trey Lewis #3 of the Louisville Cardinals during their game against the Louisville Cardinals at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 8, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 72-65. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - FEBRUARY 08: Head coach Rick Pitino talks to Trey Lewis #3 of the Louisville Cardinals during their game against the Louisville Cardinals at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 8, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 72-65. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Former Louisville Cardinal, Trey Lewis, was hopeful to make an NBA roster. For now, those plans will have to be put on hold.

Louisville basketball fans already had a big reason to cheer for the Utah Jazz with former Cardinal Donovan Mitchell becoming an overnight star during the 2017-18 season. So when the Jazz signed Trey Lewis this summer league, after several seasons of dominating in Germany, Louisville essentially turned into a branch of “Jazz Nation.”

As someone who follows the NBA pretty closely, I knew that the Jazz signing Lewis meant little to nothing about his long term future in the NBA. However it did represent hope and a chance for the three year pro to prove he belonged. After going undrafted in 2016 following one season with Louisville in which he averaged 11.3 points and 2.3 assists per game, Trey Lewis opted to pursue a basketball career overseas signing with Medi Bayreuth on of the top teams in Germany.

During his stint with Medi, Lewis showed that the potential to one day play in the NBA was absolutely there. He led his team in scoring, was the top three point shooter, while also finishing third in assists. Lewis was named an all-star in year one and immediately became a player that NBA teams had to look at.

The two year pro got his first chance at making the NBA this summer when the Utah Jazz offered Lewis a spot on their 2018 Summer League roster. That gave him the opportunity to be around rookies, young players, and NBA hopefuls like himself while receiving coaching from Utah Jazz staff and being around former teammate and good friend Donovan Mitchell.

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Appearing in four games for the Jazz, which featured one start, Lewis played well – averaging 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in 19 minutes including a team high 16 points against the Memphis Grizzlies and former teammate, Anas Mahmoud. His play was enough for the Utah Jazz to give him a shot at making their final 17 man roster by extending an invite/contract to their 2018 training camp.

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Unfortunately for Lewis, a guy that was already considered a long shot to make the roster, an injury kept him out of the Jazz’ first two preseason games. That injury was serious enough that yesterday afternoon the Utah Jazz officially announced they would waive Trey Lewis.

For Trey Lewis, a player who I believe absolutely has the ability to be a third point guard and potentially even a backup down the road, will have to wait one more year or at least a few more months before he’s able to make his dream of playing in the NBA a reality.

https://twitter.com/Treylew3/status/1047488419515912192

Lewis has reportedly been dealing with a fairly severe ankle sprain that was likely to keep him out all of training camp. If he’s able to get healthy and return to floor it would be no shock to see him return to Germany or another team overseas, or potentially even with the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s G-League Affiliate.

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Big Red Louie wishes nothing but the best of luck to Cardinal Forever Trey Lewis. His attitude and abilities on the floor will no doubt help him succeed where ever he lands.

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