Call it the Rick Pitino effect.
The NBA draft now matters for St. John’s.
For the first time since 2000, a pair of Johnnies have been selected. A day after Zuby Ejiofor ended St. John’s 14-year drought without a first-round pick, going to the Hawks with the 23rd overall selection, Dillon Mitchell was taken 40th by the Celtics on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-7 Mitchell is a gifted athlete and lockdown defender who played a major role in St. John’s repeating as Big East regular season and postseason champions.
He was used at times as a point forward, which helped his draft stock. Versatility is his strong suit, the ability to play multiple positions and guard just about every spot on the floor. The lone issue is that he is a non-shooter.
In his lone year at St. John’s, he averaged 8.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals.
He became a fan favorite and frequently raved about his experience in Queens.
In fact, during the draft combine, Mitchell was in the ear of top transfer Tounde Yessoufou of Baylor, who wound up pulling out of the draft and joining St. John’s.
Mitchell impressed teams during the combine in May and had 16 different workouts. At the start of the process, most mock drafts had him either going in the 50’s or not being selected. That changed in recent weeks, and he went early in the second round.
