It was not a surprise when RJ Luis and Joson Sanon’s names appeared on the NBA Draft early entry list on Tuesday afternoon but it’s something that must be monitored by the St. John’s basketball program.
Luis announced his intentions to declare for the draft over a month ago and he reaffirmed that his top priority is the professional route despite also entering his name into the transfer portal.
“I’m fully into the draft right now,” Luis told reporters last week at the 92nd Annual Haggerty All-Met Dinner.
“The transfer portal is really just like a backup plan. Just weighing my options in case I don’t like anything going on as far as the draft, but definitely just fully focused on the draft right now.”
Luis is on the fringe of many NBA mock drafts but is hoping for an invite to the NBA Combine where he can impress organizations and bolster his draft stock.
While Luis’ time with the Johnnies has ended regardless of his decision to remain in the draft or return to college, one of the newest members of the Red Storm, Arizona State transfer Joson Sanon, made a late decision to enter the draft.
The expectation remains that Sanon gain feedback from scouts and teams on what he needs to work on to get drafted, potentially as early as next summer, and will withdraw to play for St. John’s this season.
Sanon had hopes of being a one-and-done prospect, but a midseason injury derailed his strong start to the year for Arizona State. The Top 25 recruit was originally committed to Arizona before reopening his recruitment and landing at Arizona State.
He was the first transfer player to commit to St. John’s this offseason and jumpstarted the top ranked transfer portal class in the country.
Invitations to the NBA Draft Combine are expected to be released within the next week.