LSU Basketball Signs Former NBA Guard

Will Wade keeps landing experienced players to fill out his first roster since returning to LSU. This signing will join guards Austin Nunez, Abdi Bashir Jr. and Divine Ugochukwu in Baton Rouge.

His newest signing is RJ Luis Jr., the former University of Massachusetts and St. John's guard, who went undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft. He signed a two-way deal with the Utah Jazz but was later traded to the Boston Celtics before being waived.

Now, after some time in the pros, he's headed back to college. But Luis will need to file a lawsuit in an attempt to gain his final season of eligibility ahead of the season, per On3's Joe Tipton.

How He Got Here

Mar 20, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; St. John's Red Storm guard RJ Luis Jr. (12) puts up a shot against Omaha Mavericks forward Kamryn Thomas (22) during the second half at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Luis is 6-foot-7, 215 pounds and is origianly from Miami, Florida.

As a three-star out of high school, he would sign with UMass and appear in 27 games with 10 starts as a freshman. He averaged 11.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in roughly 23 minutes per game. That would land him a spot on the Atlantic-10 All-Rookie Team.

He then transferred to St. John's before the 2023-24 season. In his sophomore campaign, he appeared in 23 games with 10 starts and averaged 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in roughly 21 minutes per game.

The Red Storm would miss the NCAA Tournament in their first season under legendary head coach Rick Pitino.

But Luis and the Red Storm were ready to take a step up in 2024-25.

Luis did that, appearing in 35 games and making 32 starts. He averaged 32 minutes per game and 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds.

Luis's impressive season earned him St. John’s 12th consensus All-American honor and first since Ron Artest's in 1999. But he was also named the BIG EAST Player of the Year, St. John's first since 1986.

The Red Storm made the NCAA Tournament, led by Luis, but went on only a two-game run, with Arkansas ending their season 75-66.

He entered the transfer portal after his junior season but kept his name in the NBA Draft, and after a quiet offseason, the Jazz would sign him as an undrafted free agent. He was traded to Boston later that year.

He was waived by the Celtics on October 15, before the start of the season. Following his cut, Luis signed a contract with the Celtics' NBA G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics.

He only saw minutes in the preseason, touching the court for eight total minutes. He never got NBA or G League action before his season-ending groin surgery in November, so after one season, he's decided to come back to college.

What LSU is Getting

LSU is getting experience at both the collegiate and professional level, which will help it win now.

That's exactly what Wade wants.

He's aggressive at the rim with an NBA-caliber build and athleticism. He shows finesse against bigger opponents in the paint and power against smaller ones. He has some inconsistencies while shooting, as he was efficient from deep in college, with some struggles in the midrange.

The potential is there, but his skill set has yet to be fully honed into the NBA level. Luckily for Wade, though, his skill set will be utilized in college instead.

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