What Luke Paul Adds to Duke Basketball's 2027 Recruiting Class

The Duke basketball program landed their second commitment in the 2027 recruiting class this week.

On Thursday, Duke landed a commitment from Australian point guard Luke Paul. Paul will spend the 2026-27 season in the NBL's Next Stars Program before joining Duke ahead of the 2027-28 campaign. Paul joins 5-star forward Kager Knueppel as the Blue Devils' two 2027 commits.

Paul and Knueppel are two highly intriguing prospects, and both will bring different skill sets to Duke once they get to college basketball. Let's break down what Paul adds to the class.

#Duke now has two commitments for the 2027-28 season:

5-star F Kager Knueppel
AUS PG Luke Paul
— Hugh Straine (@HughStraine) October 1, 2026

Luke Paul - AUS PG

Luke Paul will spend the 2026-27 season with the Cairns Taipans in the NBL's Next Stars Program. In January, the 6'6" point guard became the youngest player to ever join the Next Stars Program at 16 years old. Paul has yet to make his debut with Cairns, as he is dealing with an ankle injury.

Paul really started turning heads this summer and has generated buzz as a potential lottery pick in the 2028 NBA Draft. With Team Australia in the FIBA U17 World Cup this summer, the Perth native averaged 15.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.4 steals a game on 48.4% shooting from the field (8.9 shot attempts per game), 55.6% shooting from three-point range (2.6 attempts per game), and 77.1% shooting from the charity stripe. (6.9 attempts per game).

Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer stands on the court during a practice session ahead of the east regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Paul led the Aussies in points, assists, and steals, leading his team to the bronze medal and earning a spot on the All-Star 5 team after the event.

In 2025, Paul led Team Australia to a gold medal at the FIBA U16 Asia Cup, averaging 14.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 2.5 steals a game on 63.2% shooting from the floor (9.5 attempts per game) and 50% shooting from the perimeter (1.3 attempts per game). He earned the MVP award at the event.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer looks on against the UConn Huskies in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What Stands Out About Paul's Game

What stands out right away about Paul is his frame at 6'6". Scheyer values positional length, and Paul's frame at the point guard position offers switchability right away. He's also an excellent passer and maneuverer out of the pick-and-roll.

Paul is patient and seems to rarely gets sped up, while navigating through reads with his head up to make the right play, whether to dish it to the roller or take it to the cup himself. Paul does a good job keeping defenders on his hip and staying patient in the action.

Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer yells down court Saturday, March 21, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Although some of his shooting numbers come on somewhat low volume, his shooting stroke looks translatable at the next level. He has also shown the ability to spot up and shoot and trail in transition.

Additionally, Paul already has great touch finishing around the basket. He can run the break in transition by himself, finishing through contact and with class around the rim, while keeping his eyes up.

Mar 14, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer throws the ball to the official in the second half during the men's ACC Conference Tournament Championship at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Paul has already shown an ability to be highly impactful on both ends of the floor and operates as a true floor general at a very high level. What his role with Duke looks like right away will be very interesting to monitor, but he brings great rebounding for a guard, impactful defense, a high IQ, elite passing, and reliable outside shooting.

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