SAN ANTONIO — Rick Pitino believes RJ Luis Jr. will play his way into being a late first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. 

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The St. John’s coach reiterated he thinks the standout junior wing should go pro rather than return to school and transfer. 

“RJ’s going to the pros. RJ is just listening to people around him, which is the smart move,” the Hall of Fame coach said Friday. “If RJ ever went into the portal, he’ll break the bank as the highest-paid player ever to get paid in the college ranks — at least for this year. But RJ is not thinking at all about going [back] to college. 

“Our goal from day one this year was for him to go to the NBA. He’ll go to workouts and he’ll move just like Donovan [Mitchell] did, move up the ladder. He’ll go from the second round, I think, into the late first round.”