Rj Luis Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jazz Notes: Bailey, Cooper, Luis, Rebuild, Sensabaugh

July 8th, 2025 at 9:03pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Jazz No. 5 overall pick Ace Bailey has impressed the organization with his energy in his first summer league outings, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon writes. Bailey sealed the Jazz’s victory on Saturday with a free throw and showcased physicality and impressive defensive effort in the game.

“All that stuff isn’t talked about enough,” coach Will Hardy said of Bailey’s willingness to defend and rebound. “The offense will come. He’s learning a new system and new people and has been worked hard the last four days [in practice]. He’s an NBA body and athlete. He’s a great teammate too. I’ve had nothing but positive reviews from all the coaches and his teammates this first week.”

In other news, the Jazz planned to have Omar Cooper Jr., the son of Bailey’s advisor (and Sharife Cooper‘s twin brother), serve as a guest coach during Summer League. However, after the league office contacted Utah to raise concerns, that’s no longer happening, according to MacMahon.

We have more notes from the Jazz:

Although there was outside noise about whether or not he wanted to be in Utah, Bailey told The Athletic’s Tony Jones that he’s focused on being the best player he can be for Utah. “Of course, you have to be aware of the business side of basketball,” Bailey said. “But I didn’t ask for all of this to come with it. I just want to hoop. I want to keep the main thing the main thing and stay focused. During pre-draft, I was surrounded by family and love. I’m big on family and loyalty. They were there for me even before I was Ace Bailey.”
Two-way signee RJ Luis‘ contract covers two years with Utah, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link). Luis averaged 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for St. John’s last season but went undrafted in June.
By sending out assets or taking back modest returns — or nothing at all — for the trifecta of Collin Sexton, John Collins, and Jordan Clarkson, the Jazz are signaling that they’re resetting the franchise’s foundation, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscriber link). When they traded away Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in 2022, the Jazz initially envisioned a two- or three-year rebuild and viewed players like Sexton, Collins, and Clarkson as potential contributors on Utah’s next competitive team, Larsen explains. By trading those players and drafting Bailey and Walter Clayton Jr., new team president Austin Ainge has completed the club’s teardown and fully committed to the rebuild.
Brice Sensabaugh looked like the best player on the floor in the Jazz’s second Summer League game and his improvement on the defensive end is certainly notable, Larsen writes in another Salt Lake Tribune story. While Sensabaugh still playing Summer League games heading into his third year could be looked at as a disappointment, Larsen points out that such a move paid dividends for Walker Kessler.

RJ Luis Signs Two-Way Contract With Jazz

June 26th, 2025 at 10:39pm CST by Rory Maher

July 7: Luis’ two-way deal with Utah is now official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

June 26: Free agent wing RJ Luis has agreed to a two-way contract with the Jazz, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).

Luis, who reportedly turned down lucrative NIL offers to return to college, didn’t hear his name called tonight in the second round, making him an unrestricted free agent. He was ranked No. 56 on ESPN’s big board prior to the draft and was No. 58 on Sam Vecenie of The Athletic‘s board.

The St. John’s standout was named Big East Player of the Year and was a second-team All-American in 2025 following a breakout junior season in which he averaged 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals in 35 games for the Red Storm (31.8 minutes per contest).

At 6’6″ with a 6’10.5″ wingspan, Luis has good size for a wing and is viewed as a strong defender. However, he didn’t score the ball efficiently — his shooting slash line was .439/.336/.747 (.525 TS) — and there are question marks about how his offensive game will translate to the NBA.

Luis, 22, will fill one of Utah’s three two-way spots. Assuming it goes through as planned, the signing will be finalized in July.

Draft Notes: Centers, Luis, Sleepers, Flagg, Richardson, Gonzalez

June 20th, 2025 at 3:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Ahead of next week’s draft, David Aldridge of The Athletic talked to several college coaches and NBA executives and scouts about the top big men in the 2025 draft class, including Khaman Maluach, Derik Queen, Collin Murray-Boyles, and Thomas Sorber, among others. Interestingly, one of the college head coaches who spoke to Aldridge believes Maluach has “the biggest upside of anybody” in this year’s draft.

“He’s huge. And he’s long. He’s a good athlete. And I think he has natural defensive instincts,” that coach said of the Duke center. “He shoots the ball better than I think, maybe, he was able to show this year. He’s a live body. He’s enthusiastic about playing. It seems he loves the process, is not afraid of it. He’s competitive. He’s not afraid. He’s ready to mix it up if he needs to. His length, size and athleticism, and then when you add those other things, I think the only thing that could stop him is injury.”

Meanwhile, multiple college assistant coaches questioned what sort of players Queen will match up with defensively at the NBA level.

“I don’t worry about him at all on offense. But I don’t think he can guard fives. I don’t think he’s great in pick-and-roll defense, and I don’t think he can move well enough laterally to guard Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and Michael Porter Jr., these scorers,” one of those assistants said. “Can he guard (Mikal) Bridges? Can he guard Josh Hart? Can he guard Stew (Isaiah Stewart), the next tier of guys who aren’t the primary offensive option, but they know how to cut, how to go to the glass?”

We have more on the 2025 NBA draft:

Speaking to Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, St. John’s standout RJ Luis Jr. – a second-team All-American in 2025 – discusses his breakout junior year, what he can bring to an NBA team, and why he believes he can be “even better” in the NBA than he was at the college level.
CJ Moore of The Athletic surveyed college basketball coaches to get their thoughts on some of this year’s second-round prospects and to have them identify some deeper sleepers who might find their way onto NBA rosters as undrafted free agents. Houston guard LJ Cryer, St. John’s wing Aaron Scott, Butler wing Jahmyl Telfort, Missouri guard Caleb Grill, and San Francisco guard Marcus Williams earned mentions as sleepers.
Applying his stats-based model to some of this year’s top prospects, Kevin Pelton of ESPN finds that Kon Knueppel (No. 2) and Noa Essengue (No. 5) are among the players whom that model likes a little more than draft experts do, while Ace Bailey (No. 22) and Tre Johnson (No. 24) are among those who don’t fare nearly as well. Interestingly, Pelton notes that his projection for Cooper Flagg is the third-best in his overall database, which dates back to 2005, behind only Zion Williamson and Luka Doncic.
With green room invitations sent out to a total of 24 prospects for next week’s draft, the only players in ESPN’s top 25 who didn’t get invites are Jase Richardson (No. 18) and Hugo Gonzalez (No. 22), notes Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Gonzalez is still playing in the Spanish League postseason.

RJ Luis To Remain in NBA Draft

May 28th, 2025 at 6:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

St. John’s star RJ Luis has officially decided to keep his name in this year’s draft, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). The decision confirms a statement Luis made two weeks ago when he said he’s “all-in” for the draft.

The 6’7″ guard is coming off an outstanding season with the Red Storm, being named Big East Player of the Year and earning second-team All-America honors. He was also voted the Most Outstanding Player in this year’s Big East Tournament.

Luis averaged 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals in 35 games while leading St. John’s to its first conference championship in 40 years. He shot 43.9% from the field and 33.6% from three-point range on 3.9 attempts per game.

Despite the accolades, Luis isn’t considered a sure thing to be drafted. He’s ranked 62nd on ESPN’s latest big board, although that could rise as some of the players ahead of him return to school.

Givony states that Luis would have been one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal if he had opted for another year of college. North Carolina, Kansas, Mississippi, Villanova and Georgetown were among the schools that have expressed interest. There were some substantial NIL offers involved, Luis’ father told college basketball writer Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 (Twitter link).

“We understand the situation, we were offered a lot of money to go back to college,” Reggie Luis said. “But we have a plan and we’re going to stick with the plan.”

NCAA early entrants who want to maintain their college eligibility will have to withdraw from the draft by the end of the day on Wednesday.

Draft Notes: Combine Standouts, Raynaud, Yang, Luis, Watkins

May 15th, 2025 at 5:37pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The scrimmages at this year’s draft combine are seemingly more cohesive than in year’s past, with several prospects standing out due to their selfless play, according to a team of ESPN’s NBA insiders. Stanford forward Maxime Raynaud was the most impactful standout of day two of the combine in ESPN’s view, showing impressive ball-handling, three-point shooting and facilitating at 7’0″.

Having stood out during the first set of scrimmages that took place on day two, Raynaud elected to shut down scrimmaging for the third day of the combine, per Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman (Twitter link). After scoring 20 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes, Raynaud’s team must feel his draft stock is secure. He’s listed at No. 34 on ESPN’s best available list.

The ESPN crew identifies a long list of standouts, including UAB’s Yaxel Lendeborg and Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford. It’s worth monitoring the status of Lendeborg, who looked strong on the defensive end, given that he has indicated he would need a firm promise to stay in the class. Pettiford, meanwhile, ended up as the leading scorer for the day with 23 points to go along with eight assists.

A pair of players from Australia’s NBL made their mark in scrimmages too, as Alex Toohey and Lachlan Olbrich held their own. Olbrich was a call-up from the G League Elite camp and scored 15 points while making all but one of his eight shot attempts.

We have more from the draft:

Chinese center Hansen Yang came into the draft process a relative unknown by outsiders, but he’s making his mark at the combine. According to ESPN, Yang was also one of the top performers from day two, matching up and holding his own against Michigan big man Vladislav Goldin. Yang is taking in the draft process and expressed excitement about the opportunity he has in front of him, according to the AP’s Tim Reynolds. “He really feels happiness here,” Chris Liu, Yang’s interpreter, said. “And then, he’s really willing to compete with everyone and against everyone. He really enjoyed that.” Yang currently sits at No. 67 on ESPN’s board.
St. John’s guard RJ Luis said he’s “all-in” on the NBA draft, according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello (Twitter link). Luis is technically still in the transfer portal but said he hasn’t spoken to any college coaches yet and isn’t thinking about that at the time. Luis averaged 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds last year as a junior. Luis ranks 62nd on ESPN’s board.
Florida State’s Jamir Watkins made a big impact on the third day of the combine, according to ESPN’s Jon Chepkevich (Twitter link). In the first scrimmage of the day, Watkins recorded 23 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals, helping himself showcase his two-way ability. He’s currently ranked No. 65 on ESPN’s big board.

Draft Notes: NBAGL Elite Camp, Niederhauser, Combine, Ruzic

May 10th, 2025 at 2:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Malique Lewis (South East Melbourne), Amari Williams (Kentucky), Caleb Love (Arizona), Caleb Grill (Missouri), and Yanic Konan Niederhauser (Penn State) are among the top prospects teams will be watching at this weekend’s G League Elite Camp in Chicago, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

The standout players at the G League event typically earn invitations to the full-fledged combine that will take place this coming week. Givony expects about five-to-eight prospects to move on, noting that players like Terance Mann, Cody Martin, and Aaron Wiggins have gotten “called up” from the Elite Camp to the combine in the past before going on to establish themselves in the NBA.

According to Jon Chepkevich of Rookie Scale (Twitter link), Niederhauser has been the “early star” of the G League Elite Camp, racking up 17 points, four rebounds, and a pair of blocks in the first scrimmage. The Penn State forward looks like a safe bet to be among the players who advance to the combine, Chepkevich adds.

Missouri’s Tamar Bates led all scorers in the first Elite Camp scrimmage with 19 points. The full stats can be viewed here (via Twitter).

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com identifies Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB), Boogie Fland (Arkansas), Darrion Williams (Texas Tech), Rocco Zikarsky (Brisbane), and Miles Byrd (San Diego State) as five prospects to monitor at the combine, noting that they still have the option of withdrawing if they don’t have strong showings this week.
Lendeborg, the No. 26 prospect on ESPN’s big board, has committed to transferring to Michigan and may only decide to turn pro if he draws serious first-round interest from a specific NBA team or teams, Woo writes, since he can make “excellent” money if he spends 2025/26 with the Wolverines.
PJ Haggerty, Jamir Watkins, and RJ Luis Jr. are three more NCAA prospects whose performances at the combine will be of particular interest to college teams, Givony notes in the same story. In addition to testing the draft waters, all three players are in the transfer portal and haven’t yet committed to a new school, so they’ll be popular targets if they opt not to remain in the draft pool.
Although Joventut Badalona’s season isn’t over yet, Croatian power forward Michael Ruzic, who plays for the Spanish club, has been cleared to attend the NBA’s draft combine this week and will be a full participant in 5×5 scrimmages, agent Bill Duffy tells Givony (Twitter link). Ruzic missed significant time due to a thumb injury this season and has played a limited role when healthy, so the Chicago combine will give NBA evaluators an opportunity to take an extended first-hand look at a prospect who ranks 49th overall on ESPN’s board.

NBA Announces 75 Invitees For 2025 Draft Combine

May 2nd, 2025 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced today (via Twitter) that 75 prospects have been invited to attend this year’s draft combine, which will take place in Chicago from May 11-18.

In addition to those 75 players, a handful of standout players from the G League Elite Camp, which is also held in Chicago just before the combine begins, are expected to receive invites to stick around for the main event.

Not all of the prospects invited to the combine will end up remaining in the 2025 draft pool, since many are early entrants who are testing the waters while retaining their NCAA eligibility.

College players must withdraw from the draft by the end of the day on May 28 if they wish to preserve that eligibility, while non-college players face a decision deadline of June 15. The feedback they receive from NBA teams at the combine may be a deciding factor for players who are on the fence.

Here’s the list of players who have been invited to the 2025 draft combine:

(Note: For players in international leagues, the country listed is where they had been playing, not necessarily where they’re from.)

Izan Almansa, F/C, Australia (born 2005)
Neoklis Avdalas, G/F, Greece (born 2006)
Ace Bailey, G/F, Rutgers (freshman)
Joan Beringer, C, Slovenia (born 2006)
Koby Brea, G, Kentucky (senior)
Johni Broome, F/C, Auburn (senior)
Carter Bryant, F, Arizona (freshman)
Miles Byrd, G, San Diego State (sophomore)
Walter Clayton Jr., G, Florida (senior)
Nique Clifford, G, Colorado State (senior)
Alex Condon, F/C, Florida (sophomore)
Cedric Coward, F, Washington State (senior)
Egor Demin, G, BYU (freshman)
Eric Dixon, F, Villanova (senior)
V.J. Edgecombe, G, Baylor (freshman)
Noa Essengue, F, Germany (born 2006)
Isaiah Evans, G/F, Duke (freshman)
Jeremiah Fears, G, Oklahoma (freshman)
Cooper Flagg, F, Duke (freshman)
Boogie Fland, G, Arkansas (freshman)
Rasheer Fleming, F/C, St. Joseph’s (junior)
Vladislav Goldin, C, Michigan (senior)
Hugo Gonzalez, F, Spain (born 2006)
PJ Haggerty, G, Memphis (sophomore)
Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers (freshman)
Ben Henshall, G/F, Australia (born 2004)
Kasparas Jakucionis, G, Illinois (freshman)
Sion James, G, Duke (senior)
Tre Johnson, G, Texas (freshman)
Kameron Jones, G, Marquette (senior)
Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton (senior)
Karter Knox, F, Arkansas (freshman)
Kon Knueppel, G/F, Duke (freshman)
Chaz Lanier, G, Tennessee (senior)
Yaxel Lendeborg, F, UAB (senior)
RJ Luis, F, St. John’s (junior)
Khaman Maluach, C, Duke (freshman)
Bogoljub Markovic, F/C, Serbia (born 2005)
Alijah Martin, G, Florida (senior)
Liam McNeeley, F, UConn (freshman)
Jalon Moore, F, Oklahoma (senior)
Collin Murray-Boyles, F, South Carolina (sophomore)
Grant Nelson, F, Alabama (senior)
Asa Newell, F, Georgia (freshman)
Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky (junior)
Dink Pate, G/F, Mexico City Capitanes (born 2006)
Micah Peavy, G/F, Georgetown (senior)
Noah Penda, F, France (born 2005)
Tahaad Pettiford, G, Auburn (freshman)
Labaron Philon, G, Alabama (freshman)
Drake Powell, G/F, UNC (freshman)
Tyrese Proctor, G, Duke (junior)
Derik Queen, C, Maryland (freshman)
Maxime Raynaud, F/C, Stanford (senior)
Jase Richardson, G, Michigan State (freshman)
Will Riley, F, Illinois (freshman)
Michael Ruzic, F, Spain (born 2006)
Hunter Sallis, G, Wake Forest (senior)
Kobe Sanders, G, Nevada (senior)
Ben Saraf, G, Germany (born 2006)
Mark Sears, G, Albama (senior)
Max Shulga, G, VCU (senior)
Javon Small, G, West Virginia (senior)
Thomas Sorber, F/C, Georgetown (freshman)
Adou Thiero, F, Arkansas (junior)
John Tonje, G, Wisconsin (senior)
Alex Toohey, F, Australia (born 2004)
Nolan Traore, G, France (born 2006)
Milos Uzan, G, Houston (junior)
Jamir Watkins, G/F, Florida State (senior)
Brice Williams, G/F, Nebraska (senior)
Darrion Williams, F, Texas Tech (junior)
Danny Wolf, F/C, Michigan (junior)
Hansen Yang, C, China (born 2005)
Rocco Zikarsky, C, Australia (born 2006)

It’s worth noting that the NBA and the NBPA agreed to several combine-related changes in their latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here are a few of those changes:

A player who is invited to the draft combine and declines to attend without an excused absence will be ineligible to be drafted. He would become eligible the following year by attending the combine. There will be exceptions made for a player whose FIBA season is ongoing, who is injured, or who is dealing with a family matter (such as a tragedy or the birth of a child).
Players who attend the draft combine will be required to undergo physical exams, share medical history, participate in strength, agility, and performance testing, take part in shooting drills, receive anthropometric measurements, and conduct interviews with teams and the media. Scrimmages won’t be mandatory.
Medical results from the combine will be distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted. Only teams drafting in the top 10 would get access to medical info for the projected No. 1 pick; teams in the top 15 would receive medical info for players in the 2-6 range, while teams in the top 25 would get access to info for the players in the 7-10 range.

Rutgers’ Dylan Harper Declares For NBA Draft

March 31st, 2025 at 3:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper, one of the top prospects in this year’s draft class, announced on ESPN’s NBA Today on Monday that he’ll be entering the 2025 NBA draft (Twitter video link).

The decision comes as no surprise, as Harper has long been considered a strong bet to be one of the first players off the board this June. He ranks second overall on ESPN’s board behind only Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, notes draft expert Jonathan Givony.

A 6’6″ point guard and the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, Dylan averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.4 steals in 32.6 minutes per game in 29 outings during his first and only college season. He posted a shooting line of .484/.333/.750 and was named to the All-Big Ten third team.

Harper broke Rutgers’ freshman scoring record and finished fifth in the Big Ten in points per game, according to Givony, who says the 19-year-old has drawn comparisons in NBA circles to a young James Harden.

“NBA teams saw I am an all-around player,” Harper said. “I can do whatever it takes to win. Whether it’s score, defend or facilitate. Anything coach needs me to do.”

Here are a few more prospects entering the 2025 draft:

St. John’s junior forward RJ Luis is declaring for the draft while maintaining his remaining college eligibility and entering the NCAA’s transfer portal, agent Sam Permut tells Givony (Twitter link). Luis had a big year as a junior, averaging 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game en route to Big East Player of the Year honors. He ranked 72nd overall on ESPN’s top-100 list as of last week.
Oregon senior big man Nathan Bittle will be testing the draft waters while retaining his final year of college eligibility, he announced on Instagram. The No. 96 prospect on ESPN’s board, Bittle averaged 14.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 27.7 minutes per game across 35 starts this season, earning spots on the All-Big Ten third team and the conference’s All-Defensive team.
Following his junior season, Vanderbilt guard Jason Edwards is heading back into the transfer portal while testing the NBA draft waters, he tells Joe Tipton of On3 Sports (Twitter link). Edwards, who transferred from North Texas a year ago, averaging 17.0 points per game for the Commodores in 2024/25.
Jacksonville State senior guard Jaron Pierre will test the NBA draft waters while entering the transfer portal, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Pierre isn’t on ESPN’s top-100 list but ranked first among all Conference USA players with 21.6 points per game in 2024/25. He knocked down 38.2% of a career-high 7.6 three-point attempts per game.