St. John's Dillon Mitchell brought in by NBA's Golden State for workout
St. John's Dillon Mitchell dribbles the ball up court against Georgetown in the second half of a Big East men’s basketball game at Madison Square Garden on March 3, 2026. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
KANSAS CITY — In many ways Dillon Mitchell was the catalyst behind St. John’s second straight 30-win season and its first trip to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 since 1999. And now his one season with the Red Storm may have opened the door for him to reach the NBA.
Mitchell had a workout for Golden State on Wednesday, his sixth with an NBA team so far, he said, as he is being evaluated as a potential pick when the 2026 NBA Draft is held June 23-24 at Barclays Center.
Mitchell was brought in by St. John’s coach Rick Pitino as a transfer from Cincinnati with an eye toward his athleticism, defense and rebounding. After the Storm stumbled to a 9-5 start, due largely to issues with ballhandling and playmaking, Pitino moved him to the starting lineup and put the ball in his hands. It set the course for the Storm to go 30-7. Mitchell finished the season averaging 8.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 28.1 minutes.
Asked about Pitino’s influence on a Zoom from San Francisco, Mitchell said, “Man, I learned a lot . . . how to play with the right mindset, the right toughness, the right edge. It put me in a position to really succeed as far as where he put me on the court and the things he allowed me to do [like] having the ball in my hands. . . . It just really expanded my game and put me in the right role, in the right position.”
Mitchell has also worked out for Denver, Boston, Detroit, Atlanta and Miami. He projects as a second-round possibility.
If there is a weakness to be addressed, it’s his outside shot. He said Pitino has counseled him and it’s coming along, but he knows that if he gets drafted it won’t be to make outside shots right away.
“If I make it to the next level, I'm not going to be just an amazing three-point shooter all of a sudden so I’ve got to figure out ways to get on the court,” Mitchell said. “That's something I've kind of done throughout all four years in college, find a way to get on the court and whatever the coaches need me to do [to] help the team win. . . Now it's just a matter of doing what you do best, continue to be great at what I'm great at and that's rebounding [and] defending.”
Stay or go?
Wednesday was the deadline for college players to withdraw their names from the NBA Draft and return to college. There are a couple that St. John’s would be in the mix for if they pull out including 6-8 three-point ace Milan Momcilovic from Iowa State.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
