Rick Pitino knows RJ Luis will be a successful pro and thinks it could happen as fast as this spring.
He said as much this fall when he declared that Luis could be a first round pick if he stayed healthy and performed to expectations, which has gone according to plan for the potential All-Big East First Team selection.
“RJ is going to try and go pro,” Pitino said on Friday afternoon. “He’s got tremendous upside. His body, his shot, his game really lends to the NBA.”
“In my estimation, 100-percent, but that’s RJ’s decision,” he explained when asked if this would be Luis’ last season in college. “I think RJ’s ready to go, ready to be a factor in the NBA.”
The junior made his coach look good just one day after those comments, scoring 24 points in St. John’s blowout victory over Seton Hall on 9-of-13 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
However, Luis explained after the game that he has not given any thought to his future yet.
“I’m just going to take care of what’s in front of me and I’m here at St. John’s and I want to win big and that’s what we are going to do.”
The win over Seton Hall landed the Johnnies in first place of the Big East and have continued its best start to a season since 1999. Luis is averaging career-best numbers across the board, posting 17.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assist per game while shooting 46.2-percent from the field and an improving 28.4-percent from 3-point range.
“I’m going to wear this jersey proudly and we’re going to see how it goes,” Luis continued.
Neither RJ Luis nor any of his Red Storm teammates were listed in ESPN’s Top-100 Big Board of NBA Draft prospects published on Saturday morning.
“Anybody who takes a 19-year old over RJ is crazy because of his upside,” Pitino added.