NBA Draft: St. John's-Rutgers Exhibition Standouts

We're less than two weeks away from college basketball being officially back, with exhibition games happening across the country. Yesterday afternoon, the consensus top-25 St John's defeated Rutgers in a 104-99 quadruple overtime matchup.

Both teams have NBA prospects to watch — below we take a look at seven players who stood out (in no particular order):

St John's

Keyshawn Hall

The 6-foot-7, 250-pound wing/forward started his career at UNLV but really first popped as a 16.6 point per game scorer at George Mason. He then played his junior season at UCF and his senior season at Auburn, averaging 19.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in the SEC last season while shooting 53.5% at the rim (202 attempts), 38.7% on non-rim twos (75 attempts), 37.9% from three (169 attempts | 8.1 three point attempts per 100 possessions), and 85.7% from the line (266 attempts).

He's a physical driver who has a knack for drawing fouls, recording a .596 free throw rate last season as well. Hall can be slightly predictable at times, as he will often left-right cross then spin back to his left at an attempt to finish with his strong hand. Additionally, while his physicality has led to drawing fouls and creating rim pressure at the college level, adding more counters, righty drives and finishes, and even better footwork will be helpful when strength-based drives or predictable spins may be more difficult to utilize in the NBA. It should be noted that he undoubtedly has some craft to his handle, however, that helps him create rim pressure at times as well.

Additionally, while his percentages and volume have improved from beyond the arc, his shot can be flat at times, which can lead to increased chances for disruptive contests or blocks from defenders at the next level. Overall, Hall offers positional size, slashing, impactful rebounding, lefty touch near the rim, and some outside shooting. Continuing to add versatility to his drives and continuing to improve his playmaking (which has also improved year after year) will both be areas to monitor offensively. Hall will continue to garner NBA interest, as he agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Miami Heat prior to returning to St. John's for a fifth season of college basketball. Hall will be 24.2 years old at the time of the 2027 NBA Draft.

Ian Jackson

The former five-star recruit started his career at UNC before transferring to St. John's last season, where he averaged 9.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 54.1% at the rim (111 attempts), 20% on non-rim twos (25 attempts), 34.3% from three (143 attempts | 12.3 three point attempts per 100 possessions), and 90% from the free throw line (70 attempts).

The 6-foot-4 junior remains an interesting NBA prospect -- he's an NBA athlete with straight-line speed, a functional handle, and is impactful in transition. While his shot can be inconsistent, the indicators speak volumes -- 90% from the line and 12.3 three point attempts per 100 possessions illustrate that there may be potential for more improvement in that area.

In terms of what Jackson already does well, he's capable of getting downhill (especially when driving off of a screen) and attacking closeouts. Lack of playmaking and shot selection have both been concerns for Jackson in the past, but yesterday he looked like one of the most in-rhythm players on the floor. He was reading and reacting as well as anyone, making quick decisions to attack closeouts, drive to the basket off a screen, or take a catch-and-shoot three almost instantly. The playmaking still remains an area to monitor however and, while he has the lateral quickness to stay with drivers, continuing to get stronger will be important on the defensive end of the floor as well.

If Jackson can slightly improve the three-point consistency, offer increased playmaking when attacking closeouts or driving off screens, and showcase NBA-level point-of-attack defense, he could be an intriguing NBA prospect to monitor in the 2027 NBA Draft. Jackson will be 22.4 years old at the time of the 2027 NBA Draft.

Ruben Prey

Any player who's 6-foot-10, 230-pounds and is mobile tends to find themselves on NBA radars. Add in the ability to set impactful screens, potentially space the floor down the line, and flashes of slips and passes out of dribble handoffs, and you've got a potential NBA rotation big man. The rising junior is expected to have an increased role this season, and could definitely find himself on many NBA Draft boards if his impact holds up with more minutes. Ruben Prey will be 22.3 years old at the time of the 2027 NBA Draft.

Quinn Ellis

The Italian SuperCup MVP and championship point guard was likely the best player on the floor yesterday. The 6-foot-4 guard displayed clear poise and patience in the pick-and-roll, making multiple live-dribble passes to the corner, dunker spot, or wing. He also hit a movement three, an off-the-dribble midrange jumper out of the pick-and-roll, and had a few off-ball cuts for finishes at the rim as well. Lastly, he showcased flashes of solid, physical on-ball defense, showed an ability to navigate screens at a high level, and made sure to finish the play defensively -- blocking an opposing driver after getting back in front when chasing on a rearview pursuit. Ellis will be 24.2 years old at the time of the 2027 NBA Draft, but could still likely find himself in the league after this season.

Tounde Yessoufou

Yessoufou was a five-star freshman in the 2025 high school class, had a productive season at Baylor averaging 17.8 points per game, and now transferred to St. John's for his sophomore season. He was a projected late first round/early second round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft prior to returning to college.

Yessoufou is listed at 6-foot-5 and 215-pounds and has the physical tools to be a wing in the NBA. He's a powerful downhill slasher who also impacts the game in multiple ways with his motor. He offers high-level transition offense and recorded an 8.7 offensive rebound percentage, a 3.5 steal percentage, and a 1.9 block percentage -- highlighting his impact on the glass and as a defensive playmaker. He's not the most explosive athlete overall, however, and his lateral quickness could be something to monitor for him as an on-ball defender.

The two key areas to watch for Yessoufou are his shooting and overall feel. He shot 29.3% from beyond the arc (181 attempts | 9.4 three point attempts per 100 possessions) and 74.6% from the free throw line (134 attempts) last season, and recorded only a 9.3 assist percentage. Being able to space the floor consistently, playmake off of his drives/attacking closeouts, and improve his overall decision-making/shot selection at times would lead to him being a surefire first round pick.

Rutgers

Tariq Francis

Tariq Francis averaged 19.2 points per game as a sophomore at NJIT before transferring to Rutgers last season and averaging 17 points per game in the Big Ten. The rising senior is poised for another big scoring year, as his skill was on display yesterday.

He hit a catch-and-shoot three, a few off-the-dribble midrange jumpers, a contested fadeaway, and a sidestep clutch three to tie the game at one point. He also recorded a 25.7 assist percentage last season while only having a 7.2 turnover percentage. He was efficient overall as well, making 44.5% of his non-rim twos (218 attempts), 35.1% of his threes (148 attempts | 9.4 three point attempts per 100 possessions), and 91.1% of his free throws (280 attempts). It should be noted that he only had 66 rim attempts last season, and made 32 of them (48.5%) -- increasing both his attempts and efficiency at the rim will be key.

While it's difficult for a 6-foot-1 scoring guard to stick in the NBA, he's someone who should be monitored this season. He'll likely be tasked with creating a significant amount of offense for Rutgers.

Darin Smith Jr

Smith Jr. is the most intriguing prospect on Rutgers, as the 6-foot-7, 210-pound wing averaged 20.7 points per game as a sophomore at Central Connecticut State last season.

His statistical profile from last season has both positives and negatives -- he made 55.8% of his rim attempts (129 attempts), 39.9% of his non-rim twos (148 attempts), 37.6% of his threes (149 attempts | 9.2 three point attempts per 100 possessions), and 89.8% of his free throw attempts). While the at-the-rim percentage could be slightly higher, all other above numbers are efficient -- especially for a 20 point per game scorer. He was also unassisted on 56.2% of his made field goals last season, a solid indicator of self-creation at Central Connecticut State.

However, Smith Jr had a very low 7.8 assist percentage, which raises questions about his overall feel and playmaking ability. Additionally, he recorded a 1.3 steal percentage and 0.8 block percentage last season -- numbers that could have been higher with his positional size at Central Connecticut State. Lastly, he had a -0.4 Box Plus-Minus last season in the NEC, which is a little concerning regarding overall impact.

On the court yesterday, Smith Jr had a solid drive, made two self-created off the dribble midrange jumpers, and hit a clutch catch-and-shoot corner three. However, he had a few attempts that indicated poor shot selection. Lastly, he showed flashes of lateral quickness and physicality on-ball defensively at times, an area that will be important to monitor this season.

Overall, Smith Jr is a 6-foot-7 wing with positional size who's a high-volume shooter and can self-create at times. Areas to monitor include how he's creating rim pressure as a slasher (whether it's more strength-based or if there's a level of craft and downhill speed), how his playmaking and shot selection progress, how his on-ball defense translates to the Big Ten, and if he can impact the game as a defensive playmaker to some capacity. He's someone to monitor this season on Rutgers.