The hyped St. John’s three-man backcourt will get an extended look together Saturday afternoon.
After Deivon Smith, Kadary Richmond and Simeon Wilcher were only on the floor for a few minutes at the same time in the season-opening rout of Fordham, the trio will start Saturday against Quinnipiac, coach Rick Pitino said Friday.
RJ Luis will move to the bench, which is unrelated to the junior wing’s technical foul for kicking the ball into the stands Monday, according to the Hall of Fame coach.
“I want to look at different lineups, see who meshes the best, gels the best,” Pitino said. “I like the way it looked [when the three guards played together]. I want to keep on looking at things.”
Luis was disciplined for the technical.
He had to report for extra 6 a.m. weight-lifting sessions all week and also has to organize two team activities in the St. John’s community.
But the change was less about Luis and more about the three guards getting more accustomed to playing with one another.
The expectation after St. John’s landed Richmond (Seton Hall) and Smith (Utah) in the transfer portal was that the two would start together.
But the speedy Smith wound up serving as the sixth man in an exhibition game against Rutgers and again Monday, partly due to his missing a significant amount of practice time due to shoulder and hamstring injuries in the preseason.
“Still working out the kinks; new offense, new teammates, still trying to feel my guys out,” he said.
All three performed well in the opener.
Wilcher scored a team-high 17 points and shot 7 of 9 from the field.
Richmond produced a typical well-rounded performance, notching 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
And Smith, after a slow start, added five points, six assists and three steals, finding his game in the second half as St. John’s blew away Fordham.
It reminds Smith of his time in AAU, when he played with Tulsa’s Dwon Odom, UMass-Lowell’s Caleb Murphy and Georgia State’s Toneari Lane.
They won the Adidas Gauntlet title together for the Boston Celtics.
“It’s kind of like that AAU feeling, AAU vibe, we all get to run, and play off each other,” Smith said. “I feel like the three of us are unguardable. We can all take advantage of our matchups and create for each other and be productive for this team.”
Pitino has harped on certain fundamentals he is working on with Smith.
They include avoiding one-handed passes, not picking up his dribble on the pick and roll, cutting down on contested shots and avoiding baseline drives because it makes it easier to defend him.
“The good thing is he brings so many positive things to the table,” Pitino said. “I’ve seen that over and over at practice.”
Pitino is planning for the three to share the floor together plenty Saturday, and for that to be a theme this season.
Richmond’s size as a 6-foot-6 guard should allow St. John’s to be able to play the three guards at the same time without giving up too much on the defensive end or in the paint.
Plus, Smith is a good rebounder for his size — he averaged 6.3 boards last season for Utah.
“Once you create great motion and have good offensive spacing, they are guys that make plays, either for themself or their teammates,” Pitino said. “They’re playmakers. A lot of times people think of playmakers as guys who create assists, but not really. Playmakers are guys who create scoring [opportunities] for themselves as well as their teammates, and those three are true playmakers.
“They’re a devastating trio,” he added.
Smith is most encouraged by the bond the three have formed in a short period of time, which really started in the spring once Smith and Richmond decided to come to St. John’s.
The three hang out and talk every day, even on off days.
“I feel like the chemistry is there,” Smith said. “Once we’re together against these tough teams, I’m sure you guys will see it. How we can play off each other. I think we’ll be very special all in all.”
