2000-01 In Review: In his third NBA season, Rashard Lewis made steady progress on a career that has already taken him from being a second round draft pick and afterthought out of high school to arguably the second best player on his team at age 21. Though it was not the breakthrough season some Sonic fans deluded themselves into expecting, it's hard to criticize Lewis' 00-01 campaign. After all, he did finish second on the team in both points and rebounds. And he did shoot 48% from the field despite playing primarily on the perimeter, while adding 43.2% from three point range and 82.6% from the line, where he had previously been inept. Unsurprisingly, Lewis had a season that was strong on the ends and weak in the middle, typical of many young players. Most of all, keep this in mind -- he should have been a junior in college last year.

Previous NBA Career: Lewis entered the 1998 NBA Draft as one of three high schoolers to declare themselves eligible. Selected as the high school player of the year by several publications, Lewis and experts expected that he would be a first round pick, more than likely by his hometown Houston Rockets, who held three picks in the first round. Instead, Lewis became the last player left in the 'Green Room' at the Draft by a wide margin, and TNT cameras captured him crying before he was finally selected by the Sonics at pick 32. The team did show faith in Lewis before his rookie season by signing him to a two year guaranteed deal, something not done with the other second rounder, Jelani McCoy. Lewis sat for the first two weeks and then, in a shocker, was thrust into the starting lineup when starting guard Billy Owens was injured. Lewis held his own in limited minutes before returning to the bench. In his second season in the league, Lewis was the primary backup to Ruben Patterson, gaining consistency, confidence, and playing time as the season progressed. By April, Lewis overtook Patterson and became the starting small forward for the Sonics in the playoffs, where he averaged 15.4 points and 6.2 rebounds in helping the Sonics extend the Jazz to five games. After the season, Lewis became a much coveted restricted free agent. After serious flirtations with Toronto, Lewis returned to Seattle on a three year deal with a player option after the second season.

Shooting/Scoring: In his rookie season, Lewis' primary offensive weapon was the dunk. My, how that has changed in two short years. Last season, Lewis was amongst the most dangerous outside threats in the NBA, finishing ninth in the NBA in three-point percentage (though third on his own team). Lewis' jumper is unorthodox, but there is no questioning his effectiveness. The sky is the limit for his perimeter offense. Unfortunately, the other aspects of Lewis' offensive game are not at the same high standard. On the rare occasions he has played in the post, he's generally looked lost, meaning he is unable to exploit what typically is a significant height advantage. Lewis progressed in his driving ability as the season went on, but is still not completely comfortable driving the lane. If opponents did respect that is a possibility, it would really open up the perimeter offense for Lewis. As mentioned above, he became a reliable and consistent free throw shooter last season. Grade: B+

Floor Game: Lewis simply doesn't look comfortable with the ball in his hands. It's difficult to recall him ever bringing the ball upcourt except on a fast break. His dribble is used ony to set up the drive, and even then is largely a decoy. Lewis is a willing passer, but not a particularly good or creative one. For the amount he handles the ball, he turns it over too much. Grade: C-

Rebounding: For a small forward, Lewis is an above average rebounder, and he will likely improve this season if he plays nearer the basket with the Sonics paucity of inside scoring. The change in his game to a perimeter basis was clearly evident in his numbers last season. His offensive rebounding improved only slightly over the previous season (1.5 to 1.8) while his defensive rebounds more than doubled (2.5 to 5.1). Lewis rebounds primarily on talent now -- he could stand to improve his technique -- but also seems to have a bit of a nose for the ball. Grade: B

Defense: Lewis has gotten a bad rap defensively, and it's not really deserved. When analyzing defensive ability, most fans look primarily at man defense -- obviously, this is far more apparent, and it's almost impossible to judge team defense on tv -- while neglecting team defense. Lewis' man defense is only adequate at best. He lacks the quickness to stay with many small forwards on the perimeter. His team defense, on the other hand, is superb. His knowledge of team d and a similarly innate basketball concept -- offensive spacing -- is remarkable for such a young player. Lewis is less susceptible than many teammates to wandering and leaving his man open on the perimeter, instead striking a nice balance of man and help defense. He's not a particularly big steal guy. Grade: B-

Intangibles: Lewis is one of the better young people in the NBA, avoiding the tabloid headlines and fitting in splendidly in the Sonics' lockerroom. When sitting behind Patterson, he never once made waves about minutes, and has never expressed concern that the Sonics infrequently call plays for him. If anything, he's maybe a little tooquiet. There are those who have expressed concern that Lewis is reluctant to shoot because of orders from Gary Payton; this makes little sense given that everything about Lewis seems deferential. On the downside, his leadership ability is limited. Back to the good, he's a fantastically hard worker who played for the Sonics' summer league team despite his status as a solid starter. Grade: A-

Overall: Making an overall pronouncement on Lewis' career is difficult. On the one hand, he has improved dramatically since entering the NBA. On the other hand, it's possible that his ceiling is limited despite his fine work ethic. All the work in the world may not be enough to ever make him an above average ball handler or passer, and the only way to really become a true post threat is to put on wieght, which would hamper his ability to defend small forwards on the perimeter. There's also the question of whether Lewis really projects as a power forward. Last season, some consideration was given by fans to the idea of Lewis and Patterson eventually starting together. Patterson is now gone, of course, but a new player in Vladimir Radmanovic threatens Lewis' job. It's highly possible that Lewis eventually slides to four to accomadate Radmanovic. Based on these flaws, difficult to correct, and Lewis' 'follower' personality, it's hard to imagine him ever being a true star player or a first offensive option. That hasn't kept Lewis from, according to many preliminary reports, becoming the top free agent in next summer's class. With several teams (notably Washington) having money to burn, it's not inconceivable that Lewis gets a max offer. Should the Sonics match it? To the extent that it's better than letting him walk for nothing, probably. But is Lewis a deserving player of a max contract? Not at this stage of his career. Grade: B

December 1 Update: During the season in which he was supposed to establish himself as the Sonics' second-best player and the top free agent next summer, Lewis has struggled. As opposed to broadening his offensive repetoire, Rashard has settled for the jumper even more, as he averages just 2.5 free throws per 48 minutes thus far, worst on the roster. His shooting from the outside has been off, as he's averaged but 1.1 points per shot. He's also struggled a bit more on defense, failing to fight through screens and often allowing opponents open jumpers. One pleasent surprise has been an improvement in Lewis' rebounding, as he currently leads the team with 8.5 per game.

January 1 Update: Two months into the season, Lewis has settled into essentially the same level of performance as last season. His shooting has been better of late, making a comeback from November, but his rebounding has dropped at the same time. One definite plus is a decrease in turnovers to improve his assist/ turnover ratio to 1.3 at last check. Still, not the progress that some expected, though Lewis remains a valuable asset.

February 1 Update: In a month during which he drew the ire of many Sonics fans with his demand in a Tacoma News-Tribune article for a max contract this summer as a free agent, Lewis did step up his offensive performance. He upped his scoring average to 17.9 points per game with 44% shooting from three and 88% from the line. His rebounding stayed down, but his steals suddenly and without warning jumped to over two per game.

March 1 Update: February was arguably Lewis' best year of the season, as his strong per-game numbers of 17.5 points and 6.2 rebounds held up despite playing time diminishing to about 33 minutes per night. This was due primarily to an ill-timed ejection on Rashard Lewis bobblehead night and several blowouts. He really stepped up his play after Vin Baker's injury, and began to drive the lane and post up more.

April 1 Update: Lewis continued his consistent and strong performance throughout the season, but was showing flashes of breaking out into something more near the end of the month before he went down with a sprained ankle on March 27. On the 25th against Utah, Lewis had 28 points and 11 boards, and followed that up with 12 points and eight boards in the first half against Memphis before going out. He will miss at least the first week of April.