Oziyah Sellers making clear how critical he will be for St. John’s

Admittedly, I thought Oziyah Sellers would be a nice addition, a solid complementary piece. A court-spacing shot-maker who could help keep opposing defenses from packing the paint. 

He was in high demand in the transfer portal with Creighton, Texas, Gonzaga and Kentucky heavily involved along with St. John’s. He averaged 13.7 points last year for Stanford and shot 40.1 percent from 3-point range on 4.2 attempts. 

So far, Sellers seems so much more important than I’d imagined — by far the biggest surprise compared to expectations when this roster was finalized. After Wednesday’s scrimmage that was open to the media, coach Rick Pitino said the senior was his starting point guard, a position he last played in AAU. 

I wouldn’t make too much of that proclamation. Pitino often switches starting lineups, and has repeatedly said that he views his finishing group as more important than his first five. Dylan Darling and Ian Jackson have also spent time as the starting point guard in the summer and fall. In St. John’s motion, up-tempo offense, everyone will handle the ball. In the scrimmage, Jackson and Sellers spent a similar amount of time initiating offense.