Former Marquette star Justin Lewis out indefinitely for Chicago Bulls after knee injury

Former Marquette star Justin Lewis has been dealt a serious blow to the start of his professional basketball career.

The Chicago Bulls announced on Tuesday that Lewis, who signed a two-way contract with the team after going undrafted in June, suffered an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and is out indefinitely after surgery.

According to NBC Sports reporter K.C. Johnson, Lewis was injured in a workout away from the team.

It hasn't been a smooth transition since Lewis announced on June 1 that he was staying in the NBA draft after two seasons at MU. The 6-foot-7 forward was expected to be an early second-round pick after a breakout season in which he averaged 16.8 points and 7.9 rebounds while being named to the all-Big East first team.

But surprisingly Lewis didn't hear his name called during the draft on June 23 and later that night he agreed to a deal with the Bulls. Chicago saw potential with Lewis' 7-foot-2 wingspan and rapidly improving shooting ability.

Lewis had a solid showing at the NBA summer league in Las Vegas in July, averaging 7.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks over 22.5 minutes in five games.

With his two-way contract, Lewis was expected to log significant time in the G League next season. But now he will likely spend most of the next year rehabbing from the knee injury.

Contact Ben Steele at (414) 224-2676 or bmsteele@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenSteeleMJS or Instagram at @bensteele_mjs

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Chicago Bulls rookie Justin Lewis from Marquette suffers ACL injury