The two-day NBA Draft has arrived, and this year brings more anticipation than ever before for the St. John’s basketball team and its fans.
The Johnnies are expected to snap a streak that has hovered over the program for years, not having a selection in the NBA Draft since Sir’Dominic Pointer in 2015 but the hope is that this year will bring the school’s first pick in the first round since Maurice Harkless in 2012.
Zuby Ejiofor, the Big East Player of the Year, is the best opportunity for the Red Storm to land a first-round pick while Dillon Mitchell and Bryce Hopkins are also hoping to hear their names called on Tuesday or Wednesday night.
While NBA front offices put the finishing touches on its draft plans before the opening round begins, we dive into some predictions for the next two days.
All three St. John’s players get drafted
St. John’s has not had three players selected in the same NBA Draft since 1983 when there were ten rounds in the event, but the buzz keeps growing around the Red Storm trio.
Ejiofor is a guarantee to be picked at some point over the next two days as Dillon Mitchell has quickly risen up draft boards following an outstanding NBA Combine and impressive pre-draft workouts. At this point, it would be a major surprise if he was not drafted.
Bryce Hopkins had his work cut out for him during the months leading up to the draft, but he continued to capitalize on a strong postseason and was one of a select number of players to be invited to the NBA Combine after a strong showing at the G-League Combine. Now, he stands as a legitimate contender to be picked anyway from the mid-to-late second round.
The trio of players led St. John’s to new heights this season and their final moments connected to the program as players could help break a few more records.
The Knicks select at least one St. John’s player
There will always be buzz surrounding the New York Knicks – especially now coming off its NBA Championship – but there’s a strong connection between the premier team in New York and its college team.
All three St. John’s players worked out with the Knicks in the pre-draft process but in recent days both Zuby Ejiofor and Dillon Mitchell have been linked to the organization. Ejiofor is expected to be available when New York has its first selection of the draft at No. 24 overall and Mitchell’s agent is Sam Rose, the son of Knicks president Leon Rose.
It could be a busy week for the Knicks as they try and manage their salary cap to keep its core players from this season but do not be surprised if they land a Johnnie. Â
Dillon Mitchell gets drafted in the 30’s
There are quite a lot of people getting on the Dillon Mitchell hype train and he’s catapulted himself from an expected late second round pick to an early-to-mid second round pick and it’s not stopping.
Mitchell can do a little bit of everything on the basketball court and would be an extremely versatile player for any franchise. He has shown he can guard multiple positions, is one of the best athletes in the class, and can orchestrate the offense with the ball in his hands.
His stock has risen so fast it would not be a shock to see him as one of the first names called on the second night of the draft.
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