Rashard Lewis saw his basketball fairytale take a horrendous turn when he went from being a high school superstar to a nobody in his rookie NBA year. From averaging 28.2 points and 12.4 rebounds in his senior year for Alief Elsik High School to being a second-round pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. It turned out that skipping collegiate basketball wasn’t the shortcut to NBA stardom he thought it would be.
In his rookie year with the Seattle SuprSonics, he averaged a mere 2.4 points over the 20 games he appeared in the 1998-99 season. From shooting over 70% from the field in his senior year at high school, he went on to shoot just 36.5% from the field and an even worse 16.7% from the 3-point line. Realizing his actual place in the NBA realm, he was frustrated but didn’t lose hope, thanks to Gary Payton and Detlef Schrempf .
Lewis on learning from the vets
Even coach Nate McMillan admitted that while Lewis showed glimpses of his potential, humbling experiences against undersized guards like Jeff Hornacek provided a stark reminder of the experience he missed by bypassing collegiate basketball.
On the other hand, for Lewis, sitting on the bench and observing Payton lead the team in scoring (21.7 points) and Schrempf lead them in rebounds (7.4 boards) proved invaluable. Additionally, witnessing Payton’s fierce demeanor and provocative nature accelerated Rashard’s development as a player.
"My rookie year was frustrating but it was a good year because I got to sit on the bench and learn from one of the best three men in the league in Detlef Schrempf, that made me a better player," Lewis said . "Also Gary Payton pretty much brought me along when I first came into the NBA. He really developed me."
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Lewis learned how to be a ‘smart player’
From his sophomore year onwards, Lewis learned how to maximize his limited minutes. Although he started in only 8 of the 82 games in the 1999-2000 season, he made the most of his 19.2 minutes per contest, averaging 8.2 points on a much improved 48.6% shooting from the field and 33.3% from the 3-point line. He also improved his rebounds tally to 4.1, along with improvement in all other categories.
For Lewis, the challenge was not in developing new skills, as he was already naturally gifted. Instead, he focused on applying his existing skillset more effectively to impose his presence in the paint.
"A lot of other guys weren’t as athletic as me, but they were smart," Lewis added. "You have to learn how to be a smart player."
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