St. John’s 3-point shooting could be pivotal for how rest of season shakes out

There is one statistic that stands out through two Big East games.

One number that depending on your outlook, makes you believe more in St. John’s or doubt Rick Pitino’s team. 

The 3-point line. 

Despite getting outscored by 21 points from beyond the arc, the Johnnies are 2-0 in league play.

They crushed DePaul at home and rallied from 16 down at Providence to win for the first time since 2017, even though they were 6-for-28 from distance in those contests. 

It could be a season-long weakness that leads to their downfall or, once it improves in that area, makes this group even better. 

Overall, the 3-point shooting numbers haven’t been pretty: 31.7 percent from deep, which is 269th in the country and second-to-last in the Big East.

The Johnnies are making 6.9 per game, which is tied for 262nd nationally, and are attempting 21.8 (235th). 

St. John’s top wings, RJ Luis and Aaron Scott, are a combined 8-for-50 from deep over the past six games.

Sharpshooter Brady Dunlap is out for at least another month after undergoing left hand surgery.

Only two rotation players (not counting Dunlap) are shooting the 3 above 35 percent, Simeon Wilcher and Deivon Smith, and Smith isn’t a high-volume shooter, taking 2.81 triples per game. 

“It’s a work in progress, something we’re continuing to try to get better at,” Wilcher said Friday as St. John’s prepared to close out its nonconference schedule against Delaware on Saturday at Carnesecca Arena. “We spend a lot of time shooting, so it’s something that you’ll see a lot of progress on throughout the season.” 

The flip side to this, of course, is it hasn’t held the Johnnies back yet.

They are 10-2 and 2-0 in league play.

They are firmly in the NCAA Tournament, according to most projections at the moment, ranked 12th — a program high — in KenPom.com.

They are ranked 12th in defensive efficiency and still have a top-30 offense, despite the long-range shooting woes.

They are shooting 55.1 percent on 2-pointers, which is tied for 79th. Being ninth in the country in offensive rebounding percentage at 38.1 certainly helps.

Forward Zuby Ejiofor is tops nationally at 4.8 offensive rebounds per game. 

“When you have the opportunity to get the ball back, even getting a second shot at the 3, that may be the one that goes in for you,” Wilcher said. 

He added: “When you offensive rebound and guard the 3, [our 3-point shooting] is something that we don’t have to really hang our heads too low about.” 

Still, as the competition improves, St. John’s is going to have to shoot the ball better from beyond the arc.

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Teams will play off of them, making it harder to score in the paint. It is more difficult to come from behind or build a lead without the 3-point shot.

The Johnnies know it.

The hope is that the ball starts to drop soon. 

“It’s something we have to deal with and get better at,” Wilcher said. “It’s very important, but I feel like that’s not the only thing we [have to] rely on. The last game or the game before that, it just may not be your shooting night. We may go one game where we make 10 to 12. The next game it may be like it has been before, three or four [makes] or whatever it is. As long as we’re guarding the 3, I feel like we’re in a very good position.” 

Senior guard Kadary Richmond’s patellar tendonitis flared up during St. John’s win over Providence eight days ago, but he has recovered and will play, according to a source.

Richmond logged just 22 minutes in the victory.