At this point in the rebuild, the rest of this net season is the next season.
It's about development.
And the young man.
And we develop players like Maxwell Lewis, who have been left unforgettable astonishing from the forgotten man.
The youngest internet on the floor last weekend was also amazing.
Over a back-to-back weekend with the Celtics and Hawks, Lewis scored 25 points in 38 minutes with a 5-7 shooting from behind the arc, posting a plus 28 leading the team.
This is from a player who has scored just 21 points in his career going into the weekend.
In just three months, Lewis got injured from the deal and became a career breakthrough from a broken leg.
And during that time, the 22-year-old Pepperdine product brought in infectious energy, first in the locker room and now in the court.
“I like what I see,” Jordi Fernandez said of Luis. “Max was an incredibly last two games. …So his energy is contagious, and he can bench his teammates whenever he does something positive.
The first came 15 points in a six-minute shooting against Boston in 16 minutes on Saturday, 3-3, 3-3.
Lewis then scored 10 points in a 7-7 shooting and 10 points 2-4 from the deep in Sunday's 22-minute victory in Atlanta.
It was an incredible event considering he had only recorded a total of 22 minutes in Brooklyn before that.
“I have to give him a lot of trust,” Cam Johnson said. “He gets in and traded – it's not easy, it's the first time you're going to trade – he's the first game to play with us and get injured in the same play. So now you're just traded, you're out for a month, he doesn't complain. He works every day and works hard.
“He's also an interesting guy overall. He can bring that fun energy across the team, but sometimes it can bring a bit of crazy, but we love it.
The deal was December 29th and was part of Dorian Finney Smith's return.
The Lakers had thought up Lewis well in the 2023 draft, so they paid Indiana $4 million to move seven spots to seventh, taking 40th in the second round.
LA then handed him a four-year, $7 million deal, and was guaranteed for the first two years.
After spending most of his rookie campaign with the South Bay Lakers, Lewis averaged 18.4 points and 6.9 boards in the G League when Nets general manager Sean Marks wanted him to include along with D'Angelo Russell and three second round picks.
However, one minute after his New Year's Day debut, Lewis broke his left tibia.
The 6-foot-7 wing returned to court on February 12th, but made just five short cameos until this weekend. Lewis got the chance and actively seized it.
“I was thinking, just catch it, shoot it, get ready, I hesitate and I'm used to putting the ball on the ground. [keep it] It was short and simple and I felt like I belonged to the league. Lewis said.
Lewis is trying to prove that he belongs. He is younger than all nets except Noah Crowney and Darik Whitehead.
He competes with young wings and Zalen Wilson and Ziaire Williams.
Meanwhile, Lewis has just $2.2 million and $2.4 million team options over the next two years, with just $100,000 guaranteed between 2025 and 26.
He uses these final 13 games after Tuesday at TD Garden to prove he's worth it.
