The season has only just tipped off, but Zuby Ejiofor is already impressing draft experts enough to land on their radars.
Earlier this week, Bleacher Report and NBA TV draft expert Jonathan Wasserman projected the Johnnies’ star center to be selected by the New York Knicks with the 24th overall pick in his latest two-round mock draft and gave him a professional comparison to another Rick Pitino frontcourt apprentice, Montrezl Harrell.
“He’s out of the box positionally from an NBA standout, but his athleticism and motor at both ends may be strong enough for a play-finishing and defensive role,” Wasserman writes of Ejiofor, “Making another jump as a shooter should lead to a serious spike in NBA interest.”
In ESPN’s latest Big Board rankings, Ejiofor is listed at 22nd among potential 2026 draft prospects. Draft analyst Jeremy Woo stated that Ejiofor’s intangibles and “ability to impact game flow with his energy” might transcend his positional size and shooting concerns, and help him find a spot in the league as a glue guy.
Ejiofor is set to build on his breakout junior season in which he won the Big East Most Improved Player award. Through two games, the 6-foot-9 center is averaging 22.0 points and 8.0 rebounds, ranking second and sixth in the Big East in each respective category. The big man out of Garland, Texas also impressed in deep range shooting in Saturday’s game against Alabama, making two of his three attempts from beyond the arc and helping his case against one of the biggest question marks in his game.
Next summer, the senior center will be trying to break an 11-year NBA draft drought for St. John’s. Sir’Dominic Pointer was the last Red Storm player to get picked by a team, as he was selected with the 53rd pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015.
Zuby Ejiofor and the No. 13-ranked Red Storm return to action on Saturday, November 15 against William & Mary. Tip-off at Carnesecca Arena is scheduled for 6 p.m. Eastern, and the game will be broadcast on truTV.