Rick Pitino has been searching for solutions on how to change the course of what’s been a disappointing start to the 2025-26 campaign for St. John’s. Besides the well-documented dilemma of how to scheme with a lack of a dependable point guard, the Red Storm also struggled with aspects of the game that wouldn’t be expected to be sticking points for a Pitino-led team.
St. John’s has struggled to play consistent defense for 40 minutes, as evidenced by its losses to Auburn and Kentucky, when they gave up at least 50 second-half points after comfortably leading at halftime. Much of that is attributable to the Red Storm’s three-guard lineups, and while the rotation of Oziyah Sellers, Ian Jackson, Joson Sanon, Dylan Darling, and Lefteris Liotopoulos is a deep stable of shooters, none of those players is known for their defense.
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While the point guard problem might be a lost cause, Pitino may have found his answer to those issues on the opposite side of the ball against Butler, with the Red Storm deploying three forwards to lead them to an 84-70 victory. The foursome of Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins, Dillon Mitchell, and Ruben Prey combined to score 51 points and force eight steals.
At least three of Ejiofor, Hopkins, Mitchell, and Prey were on the floor for 39 of the Red Storm’s 70 possessions on Tuesday night. According to CBB Analytics, four of their five best-performing lineups in terms of Net Rating and plain old plus-minus involved at least three of those frontcourt players.
It’s not only a one-game sample that shows St. John’s might be at their best with a bigger lineup. Among St. John’s lineups to play 20 possessions or more together, the first and third-best lineups in terms of Net Rating and plus-minus are Bryce Hopkins, Dillon Mitchell, and Zuby Ejiofor. The second-best involves Hopkins, Mitchell, and Prey and forces opponents to turn the ball over at a staggering 33.7% rate. It is also worth noting that Jackson and Sellers make up the backcourt in four of the five best lineups, too.
Coming off his 10-point outing off the bench, Prey stands to earn more playing time because of efficient playmaking, defensive disruption, and the ability to stretch the floor with his three-point shooting. The Portuguese big is one of seven players in Division I men’s basketball with a true shooting percentage of 60% or better, an assist rate of 15% or better, a block percentage of 5% or better, and a steal percentage of 2% or better, joining the likes of his teammate Zuby Ejiofor, potential All-Big East player Tarris Reed from UConn, Northwestern’s breakout star Arrinten Page, and Naismith Player of the Year favorite Yaxel Lendeborg of Michigan. He might not replicate the production of those players with more minutes, but it shows he makes the most of the action he sees.
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Using more size in the starting lineup may not help St. John’s become the top-ten-ranked team they were supposed to become, but playing three forwards puts them in the best position to control and win games. With a matchup coming up this weekend against a Creighton team that struggles to protect the glass and score against shot blockers, Saturday is an opportune time for Rick Pitino to once again roll out his bigger lineups.
