https://theathletic.com/648178/2018/11/12/hoop-thoughts-coaches-break-down-opening-week-wins-losses/St. John's blurb:
"Johnnies not quite ready for prime time
Chris Mullin, of course, is old enough to remember when St. John’s basketball was capable of lighting up New York City. He’s also old enough to know that generating a few preseason headlines isn’t enough to illuminate a single bulb on Broadway. For evidence of the challenge ahead, he can simply present the Red Storm’s 84-80 home win over Bowling Green, which required them to overcome an 11-point second-half deficit. The Johnnies led by one with six seconds remaining. That’s hardly the look of a team that’s ready to take the Big Apple, well, by storm.
“Right now we’re just taking baby steps,” Mullin told me. “We should be really good, but it’s going to take a little time. It’s a matter of fitting in guys together who want to score and are capable of scoring. They’re not malicious, they’re just not used to playing together. They need to get a feel for each other.”
Much of the excitement was generated by the NCAA’s decision this fall to grant a waiver to Auburn transfer Mustapha Heron, a high-scoring 6-5 junior. It’s enticing to think of him playing alongside 6-1 junior Shamorie Ponds, who led the Big East in scoring last season with a 21.6-point average. Basketball, however, is not always so simple. Both of those guys are ball-dominant guards. For them to co-exist, they are going to have to learn to play a different way.
That was evident in the narrow escape over Bowling Green. Ponds was quiet in the first half while attempting just four shots. When he took over midway through the second half, Heron virtually disappeared. For St. John’s to be at its best, those two guys have to play well together and learn how to make one another better. “I’m trying to get them to catch and pass, catch and shoot,” Mullin said. “Normally they like to hold the ball for a little bit.”
Mullin believes it will benefit Ponds to play with guards who are capable of taking the ball out of his hands. “He got overused last year. It hurt his efficiency,” he said. “We played him a lot of minutes and relied on him to score a lot and have a lot of assists.”
The Red Storm was already not going to be a big team, but that problem has been exacerbated by a lingering knee injury to 6-9 sophomore forward Sedee Keita. The good news is that Mullin has several big, strong guards who can play in the post on offense, much like Jalen Brunson did for Villanova the last three years. That will hopefully make this team an unconventional cover.
In the end, the Red Storm’s biggest strength will be its perimeter defense. If St. John’s had not forced the Falcons into committing 20 turnovers, it almost certainly would have lost. I like the identity Mullin is developing. It reminds me of the way Villanova plays, with a lineup that is small but also speedy and tough, and that relishes the ability to make opponents uncomfortable with sticky defense. The offensive rhythm will take a while, but I believe it will come. When it does, St. John’s could very well justify all the preseason chatter."