00:00Four dogs from the 2024-25 Big East champion St. John's basketball team are all set to try and live their dreams
00:08and try and make a roster spot with their NBA teams in the Summer League.
00:12That action's already kicked off.
00:14Zach Brazila is always on top of all things Red Storm and is on now to talk about some of these players right here.
00:21Zach, we got R.J. Lewis Jr. with Utah Jazz, Kadari Richmond with the Wizards,
00:26Aaron Scott with the Celtics, and De'Veon Smith with the Hawks.
00:30R.J. Lewis didn't play in the Jazz's first game, and he's going to be out again tonight with some knee soreness, I guess.
00:38And the Wizards don't play until Sunday, so we won't see Richmond.
00:42But what do you think are these guys' chances to stick with this team and make the roster or even play in the G League?
00:50Yeah, I think, look, R.J. and Kadari are going to be, you know, they have two-way contracts,
00:56so they're going to get chances, you know, especially in the G League where they're going to have to make their bones
01:04and prove on some of their deficiencies with Kadari.
01:07It's obviously his three-point shooting.
01:09With R.J., it's decision-making.
01:11It's making more shots.
01:13It's kind of, you know, being more of a secondary score-slash-playmaker.
01:18He's not going to have the ball in his hands as much.
01:20But, yeah, both guys are, you know, I would expect to make, you know, make it through training camp.
01:27You get two ways teams value you.
01:29Those teams don't just give those two-way contracts away.
01:33You know, I'm going to be very interested to watch Kadari in Summer League.
01:36You know, when I talked to him before the draft, he spoke a lot about kind of reworking that jump shot.
01:41And, look, with Kadari, that's really the only thing that he's missing.
01:45You know, he does everything so well.
01:46He's a good defender.
01:48He can run a team.
01:50Rebounds well for a guard.
01:52He's 6'6".
01:53You know, teams like him.
01:55You know, it's just that shot is just kind of what prevented him, you know, to this point.
02:03I mean, look, if Kadari was a passable three-point shooter, he'd be in the NBA already.
02:07You know, he would have never even been at St. John's.
02:08The shot is what's held him back.
02:12And I'll be interested to see in the, you know, in the Summer League, does he, that new shot, how it looks.
02:19And then RJ, you know, we'll see.
02:20Look, the Jazz are now in the California part of Summer League.
02:24They still go to Vegas.
02:25Everyone goes to Vegas.
02:26So he's going to get, you would think, you know, the fact that they're just going to soreness doesn't sound like it's a major thing.
02:32I, you know, you would think he'll get some reps and get some opportunities.
02:36But for both of these guys, it's going to be the G League.
02:39It's going to be, you know, having to prove themselves.
02:41And, you know, like what Danis Jenkins did this past year, Danis Jenkins, who was, you know, the star point guard St. John's, Rick Pitino's first season, he was an all-rookie team player on the G League.
02:54And sounds like he'll be back with the Pistons.
02:57You know, he's, you know, that's part of it.
02:59You got to kind of prove what you can do at this level against professionals.
03:04You know, college is one thing.
03:05But for these guys who don't get drafted, you have to kind of work your way up.
03:11And, look, it happens.
03:13You look at Julian Champagny, the St. John's star from a few years back.
03:17He now has a, you know, he didn't get drafted.
03:20He did the G League thing.
03:21And he's wound up with the Spurs.
03:23And I think he's got around a $3 million guaranteed contract for next season.
03:27And, you know, he played in all 82 games this past year.
03:30You see plenty of success stories of guys who don't get drafted and work their way through the G League.
03:35The key is work because there are not a lot of spots out there.
03:38And so many of these guys are so talented.
03:42And the guys who work the most are usually the ones who make it.
03:44Well, RJ is the guy who bet on himself.
03:46He only signed a two-way deal with the Jazz.
03:49When you look at the Jazz's roster right now, do you look at it and be like,
03:55okay, this kid maybe should have stayed one more year in college?
04:02You know, I can see both ways.
04:04I understand why he didn't stay.
04:06You know, he's going to be 23.
04:09He's coming off a great season.
04:11He's thinking, you know, I talked to him before the draft.
04:13He's thinking like not – he didn't see like how that much would change for him after another year in college.
04:18We all know he wasn't coming back to St. John's.
04:21The fit with Utah, you know, I could see your point.
04:23Look, they drafted Ace Bailey with, you know, with their – the top five pick.
04:27You know, he plays the same position as RJ.
04:29You know, so it was kind of a little surprise that that's where he went.
04:35But, look, the Jazz are a team in transition.
04:40They're not – you know, they're coming off obviously a really bad season.
04:43There might be opportunities there for RJ as we go through the year.
04:49You know, so – but, yeah, look, he definitely lost money.
04:52There's no question about that.
04:53If he went back to college, I'm sure he could have gotten somewhere $2 million to $3 million, and the two-way deals are, you know, like a little south of $600,000.
05:02But you also have to consider, you know, the age.
05:04And some guys are just – you know, he was ready to start his pro career.
05:09And he said like that was his plan his sophomore year, and it didn't work because of injuries.
05:13But, you know, he was ready.
05:17And, you know, credit to him.
05:21You know, you wish him luck that, you know, he was ready to start this journey, and he went for it.
05:26You know, there's nothing wrong with that.
05:29Yeah, I'm never going to get on a player for betting on themselves.
05:33But, ooh, that's a big money drop-off right there when we talk about the difference in paychecks.
05:39But, hey, it is what it is.
05:41The man bet on himself.
05:42When we talk Aaron Scott and Devion Smith, they only sign summer league contracts.
05:49Which one of these guys, if not both, do you think can catch on?
05:55Yeah, I know teams like Aaron Scott a lot.
05:57You know, he's got length on the wing.
06:00He can shoot.
06:01I know he didn't have a great year shooting the ball at St. John's, but he can shoot.
06:04You know, he's obviously that 3 and D type guy that teams like.
06:09You know, he's an incredibly tough guy, high character guy.
06:16You know, I think he's got a very good chance to be in training camp with someone.
06:21And, you know, but the flip side is for guys like him and for him and Devon is,
06:27what is, you know, what are you looking for?
06:31You know, they're going to make more money overseas than they probably would by, you know,
06:40going to camp and being a G League guy who's not really attached to a team on a two-way.
06:46Now, if one of them plays really well in summer league, maybe you get that two-way and you get that two-way.
06:51And that obviously changes things.
06:53But if you're not on a two-way, it might make more sense to go overseas.
06:56You know, being overseas is a really good career.
07:00You know, a lot of those former St. John's players under Steve Lavin went that route.
07:04D'Angelo Harrison, Phil Green, Sir Dominic Poynter, who had a cup of coffee in the NBA,
07:10and have made really good money overseas.
07:12You know, everything is paid for.
07:15Housing, food.
07:16You know, you're treated great.
07:19You obviously got to go to the right spot.
07:20But, you know, I look at both Aaron Scott and Davon Smith as guys that can have really, really, really good overseas careers.
07:28Now, does that mean they can't play in the NBA?
07:31No, of course it doesn't.
07:32I just think if you're not going to be able to get a two-way, you know, the smarter move probably is to go overseas.
07:40But, you know, both will have opportunities here in summer league.
07:44You know, that's the thing with summer league now.
07:45The top guys, the high first-round picks, they don't usually play more than a few games.
07:49So, it gives guys a chance to put stuff on film, whether it's for the organization they're representing in summer league or for someone else.
07:59And, you know, it gives you a chance to open eyes.
08:01You know, that's the thing.
08:01Everyone, when they talk about summer league, they always look, you know, the big guys.
08:05Oh, I want to watch Cooper Flagg or, you know, a few years ago, I want to watch Wemba Yama or Scoot Henderson or whoever it is.
08:12But, you know, that's how some of these guys catch on is maybe the undrafted guys who really put on a show in summer league and maybe show teams something that they didn't see.
08:23All right.
08:24Zach Brazile, thanks for hopping on with us, man.
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