KANSAS CITY, Mo.Β β Ever since KJ Lewis fought painfully through a screen on Feb. 4 at BYU, the right wrist of the Arizona guard hasnβt been quite the same.
It just hasn't always looked that way, especially lately.
In the 10 games between when he suffered ligament damage against the Cougars and Arizonaβs Big 12 Tournament semifinal game against Texas Tech on Friday, Lewis trended toward putting up similar numbers to those he did beforehand.
Arizona's KJ Lewis, left, passes around Kansas' KJ Adams Jr. (24) during the first half of a quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo.Β
Lewis has dipped notably in free-throw shooting (86.1 to 74.5) since the injury and slightly from two-point range (54.2 to 50.0) but has slightly improved from 3-point range, partly because he was struggling there anyway.Β
It's a matter of pain tolerance.
Sometimes, a lot of pain tolerance.
βShooting the ball is really painful. Certain movements with it is painful,β Lewis said. βBut Iβve got a great training staff, with Justin (Kokoskie) and everybody. So I'm just gonna do what they tell me to do, try to push through it.β
While UA has not detailed the exact injury Lewis suffered, Kokoskie indicated Lewis' approach to it is pretty typical.
"We honestly have a tough group of guys and a really exceptional culture here at Arizona," said Kokoskie, UA's longtime athletic trainer. "Every player has some type of injury at this point in the season but they all trust us and know we are always putting everything we have into their health and recovery."
As dealing with the wrist has become more routine in recent weeks, Lewis' confidence appears to be growing. Lewis missed all four 3s he took on March 8 at Kansas, and was 1 for 8 overall, but sandwiched that effort with big scoring games against ASU and UA's 88-77 quarterfinal win over the Jayhawks on Thursday.
Kansas' Zeke Mayo, left, and Arizona's KJ Lewis dive after a loose ball during the second half in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Tournament, March 13, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo.
He tied his career high of 21 points on March 4 against ASU while shooting 7 for 13 from the field. InΒ UA's revenge game against Kansas on Thursday, Lewis tied forward Henri Veesaar with a team-high 19 points, while hitting 6 of 11 shots that included his only 3-pointer. Β
Lewis βis a game-changer with his energy and effort,β UA coach Tommy Lloyd said afterward.
Minutes later, Lewis sat down inside the Wildcats' locker room wearing a plastic wrap stuffed with ice around the wrist.
He pretty much shrugged. Itβs the new normal.
For the rest of the season, at least.
βThe wrist probably won't get better until the end of the year with rest,β Lewis said. βBut Iβm trying to find any way to help my team in the best ways that I can. Itβs gonna be game-by-game with the wrist but I'm super confident in myself and the work that I put in, and not worrying about outside noise.β
Lewis said heβs had X-rays and other tests, and said heβs not sure exactly what the injury is, only that it involves a ligament. But whatever: The main thing Lewis expressed after Thursdayβs game is that he is certain that the wrist canβt get worse with play.
Before the Wildcats left for the Big 12 Tournament earlier this week, Lloyd acknowledged that Lewis had suffered a βlegitimate injuryβ to his wrist that was affecting his shooting.
Iowa State guard Curtis Jones, left, drives to the basket past Arizona guard KJ Lewis, right, during the second half March 1, 2025, in Ames, Iowa.Β
βI think it's getting better now,β Lloyd said. βItβs just I think he's a better shooter than his numbers have shown. I think he's shown me that in practice and last year, and you just hope you get a little bit of an uptick here down the stretch.
βBut that being said, he impacts the games in a lot of ways. So we're gonna keep hanging with it.β
