Duke Luke maps out NBA dream

Luke Paul knows where the next chapter of his basketball journey will take him.

But first, there is plenty he wants to achieve in orange.

The Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans point guard last Friday committed to Duke University, confirming he will join one of college basketball’s most decorated programs following the completion of the NBL27 season.

For the highly rated 17-year-old, it is another significant step towards his ultimate ambition of reaching the NBA.

For now, though, his focus remains firmly on Cairns.

After an ankle injury sustained during pre-season delayed the start of his NBL career, Paul is on track to make his debut against the Brisbane Bullets at the Cairns Convention Centre on Thursday night.

And while Duke blue awaits next year, Paul is determined to make the most of every opportunity in orange first.

“Training in this NBL environment is accelerating my development, and I'm thankful to the Taipans, coach Adam Forde, the Next Stars program and everyone involved for helping me to improve,” Paul said.

“I'm excited about committing to Duke, as it's a dream come true and I'm equally excited about giving absolutely everything I have to Cairns this season.”

The path ahead is becoming clearer for Paul with his first taste of professional basketball in Far North Queensland, followed by the intensity of the college system and, he hopes, an opportunity to realise his NBA dream.

“I want to get to the NBA and be a lottery pick, and I trust in their player development to get me there,” Paul said.

“In saying that, winning a national championship at Duke is the ultimate goal for me.”

Taipans focus before Paul’s college journey

The attention surrounding Paul’s future may have intensified following his Duke commitment, but Taipans Head Coach Adam Forde believes the significance of where his professional journey begins should not be overlooked.

Paul became the youngest athlete to sign with the NBL Next Stars program when he joined in January, before choosing Cairns as the place to begin his professional development.

For Forde and the Taipans, that decision carries plenty of meaning.

“We’re really proud of Luke and how he has embraced our Club and our program in such a short time,” Forde said.

“It’s a privilege he chose us first, and we love that the Taipans will always be synonymous with his journey.

“He’s going to learn a lot while he’s here with us this season and he’ll be even more elite for Duke with that experience.”

Forde has already been impressed by the way the teenager has settled into professional basketball, both in his approach to training and the personality he has brought to the group.

“I've been very impressed with how adaptable Luke is in a professional environment,” Forde said.

“He's done a good job of being his charming self, and he's got his banter and camaraderie he brings in the locker room. But also on court, he's a real competitor. He gets after it and is really diligent in his work ethic.”

That approach has continued throughout his rehabilitation, with Paul remaining engaged with his teammates while patiently working towards his first appearance in front of the Orange Army.

Even without taking the court, he believes his time inside the Taipans' professional environment is already making him a better player.

“The NBL has been great for me,” he said.

“To be able to get into a professional environment as early as I can, and see what it takes to make it in that sort of environment, is super beneficial for me. I get to learn from professionals every day.

“I wouldn't be able to go to college next year, so it's a great situation for me.”

Duke pitch key to Paul’s decision

When the time came to decide what would follow his season in Cairns, Paul did not need long to be convinced that Duke was where he wanted to go.

Despite having several college opportunities, a conversation with Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff gave Paul the confidence to commit.

“The family aspect of the program appealed to me,” Paul said.

“I jumped on the call with Coach Scheyer and the rest of the coaching staff, and really got the feeling that it's going to be home for me.

“I put trust in them, and they put trust in me, that we'd be able to do something special. I went away from that call with a lot of confidence that it was right for me.”

Duke's basketball pedigree needs little introduction.

The Blue Devils have won five NCAA national championships and produced more than 110 NBA Draft selections, with Paul now hoping to add his name to a long list of players who have used the program as a launching pad to the professional ranks.

He will also reunite with Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, who helped the United States win the gold medal at the 2026 FIBA Under-17 World Cup.

Paul impressed on the same stage for Australia, averaging 15.3 points, 7.1 assists and 6.4 rebounds as the Crocs claimed bronze, with both players selected in the tournament's All-Star Five.

“I'm very excited to play alongside him,” Paul said.

“He was one of the reasons I chose Duke. To be able to play the middle pick-and-roll with him or hit him on a pick-and-pop, it's going to be so much fun. I can't wait.”

ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst believes Paul's confidence in Duke is well placed, particularly given the program's record of preparing elite prospects for the professional ranks.

“If you're going to commit to some place in the US, it's a leap of faith,” Windhorst said.

“If you're going to take a leap of faith, why would you not want to do it with a program like Duke?

“Jon Scheyer has routinely shown he gets guys drafted very highly, and that's the path that Luke is on.”

Building Paul for the Blue Devils

Duke can wait. For now, there is an NBL season ahead and plenty of development still to come in Far North Queensland.

The 198cm point guard arrived in Cairns with a reputation for his size, court vision and playmaking, but Forde has already identified another part of Paul's game he believes deserves more attention.

“Everybody talks about him being a big point guard, and his floor vision and awareness, and there are the comparisons with Josh Giddey, but his ability to shoot it has been very impressive,” Forde said.

“He's someone that can space off the ball as well. If there's an action going on and he ends up on the weak side, he has an ability to be a floor spacer for the catch and shoot.

“His stroke's quite nice, and it's probably an underrated part of his game. That's something he'll continue to improve on, but he has a good base for.”

Paul's journey also represents new territory for the NBL's Next Stars program.

The pathway has helped launch the careers of NBA players including Giddey, LaMelo Ball and Alex Sarr, while former Taipan Bobi Klintman used his season under Forde in Cairns as a stepping stone to the 2024 NBA Draft.

Paul will take a different route, becoming the first Next Star to move from the NBL into the US college system.

And for Windhorst, the pathway ahead is clear: use the NBL to develop against professionals, continue that progression at Duke and then put himself in the strongest possible position for the 2028 NBA Draft.

“Luke is on the path to hopefully having a great development year here in the NBL and then have a great development year where he'll be richly rewarded at Duke,” Windhorst said.

“Then hopefully, the plan is to be a high lottery pick in 2028.”

That dream remains further down the road.

For now, Paul has a first NBL game to play, a season to embrace and an opportunity to show the Orange Army why there is so much excitement surrounding his future.

The destination after NBL27 may already be decided. But the next chapter of Luke Paul's story will be written in Cairns.