MELBOURNE vice-captain Jordan Lewis has called for patience when it comes to Jake Lever, claiming the highly priced recruit will be a "superstar" despite his low-key start to life as a Dee.
Lever was traded last year in a deal that saw the Demons send two first-round draft selections (2017 and 2018), and a future fourth-round pick to Adelaide.
The 22-year-old former Crow signed a four-year deal with the Dees reportedly worth upwards of $3million.
However, the intercept defender has struggled when he's been required to play as more of a one-on-one backman in the Demons' first two games rather as the "third-man in" specialist he shone as last season.
Lewis says criticism of Lever after just two rounds was premature.
"I think people rush to try and judge someone, to be the first one to come out and say, 'Yeah, he's not playing that well'," Lewis told SEN on Wednesday morning.
"We've got to have patience, he's come to a new club, he's playing in a backline and backlines are hard to jell these days.
"You've got to play together for a long period of time.
"He's going to be a superstar, he was nearly All Australian last year.
"He's two games in so just be patient."
Lever averaged over six marks and nine intercept possessions a game in 2017, but so far this season is averaging three and four respectively.
He's played as one of two Melbourne key defenders, alongside Oscar McDonald, which is a different structure to the one he was used to at the Crows where he had more room to be creative with Daniel Talia and Kyle Hartigan in the side.
Lewis said Lever wasn't bothered by the external questions being asked about his form and believed the positive signs he showed at times in the Demons' win over Brisbane on Saturday night would become a more regular occurrence.
"His first half on the weekend was outstanding and it was probably back to the Jake Lever we've seen in Adelaide," the former Hawk said.
"He was probably disappointed with the second half and how it unfolded but he wasn't the only one, there were a few of us in that boat.
"He's going to be a terrific player for us for a long period of time."
