Luke Paul doesn't want anything handed to him. Peer through his wide, infectious smile, and that much is clear from the moment he starts talking.
That was part of the appeal of signing with the Cairns Taipans as part of the NBL's Next Stars program, with Paul walking into an environment that can uniquely offer him playing opportunities that other teams couldn't, but with a figurehead in Adam Forde that can be firm-handed and drive accountability.
It's a healthy bet for Paul, the 17-year-old playmaker who became the youngest player to ever sign a Next Stars contract; and who, at 6'6 with an exceptional feel for the game, looks on track to become Australia's next elite big point guard.
"There are no guaranteed minutes," Paul told ESPN.
"Fordey's told me I'll be the back-up point guard, and when I can get in, I'll get in and be the ball-carrier, create for others, run the team, and set the offence. The opportunity for a 17-year-old to do that was pretty hard to turn down."
"When I got on the call, Fordey and [CEO] Mark [Beecroft] made the pitch to me... I met Fordey a couple of years ago. I knew that, from his point of view, he really wanted me, and that's what I really wanted from a coach."
Paul announced himself as a potential NBA prospect at the 2025 FIBA U16 Asia Cup, where he led Australia to a gold medal, averaging 14.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. The tournament culminated in a near triple-double -- 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists -- in the gold medal game against China.
He was named tournament MVP, and immediately became a target for the Next Stars program, which has produced a lengthy list of NBA draft picks: LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey, Alex Sarr, Ousmane Dieng, RJ Hampton, Rayan Rupert, AJ Johnson, Bobi Klintman, Ariel Hukporti, Rocco Zikarsky, and Alex Toohey among them.
Before his NBL career begins, Paul will be among the headliners at the 2026 FIBA U17 World Cup in Istanbul, Türkiye in late June -- leading the Australian Crocs on the biggest stage he's performed on to date. Then he heads north.
In Cairns, Paul will hope to follow in the footsteps of those who've had development success stories under Forde; the likes of Keanu Pinder, Bul Kuol, and Taran Armstrong all took meaningful steps forward in their respective careers following their time in Cairns.
"I wanna be pushed every day," Paul said. "He's gonna bring me into an environment where he's gonna make me better, no matter what. If I put my hard work in, and I'm consistent with my work, he's gonna give it back to me."
From a developmental standpoint, there's the added benefit of Paul not being eligible for the NBA Draft until 2028, so there's ample time for him to be moulded into a more complete professional.
"He's got a big future, and it's a two-year plan that we're looking at Luke with," Forde said.
"During those two years, we're planning how we can progress him to the point where he's NBA-ready. We're fortunate that Luke, his family and team are trusting us to take care of that process for him. He's of the right mindset, too. What I love about Luke as a Next Star, he knows that nothing's promised, nothing's given, and he's going to have to earn everything."
Style-wise, Paul is a natural fit for how it seems Cairns wants to operate throughout the 2026-27 NBL season. The team has retained both Jack McVeigh and Reyne Smith, while ESPN's reporting is that Pinder has signed a deal to return to Cairns. The Taipans will have the opportunity to play fast and free, and Paul's game -- built around his high-level feel, downhill game, and making decisions at pace -- maps neatly onto that identity. His player comparisons are telling: he says he's been studying Josh Giddey's playmaking and, perhaps more revealingly, has spent serious time watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander operate.
"Shai is probably the best downhill player in the NBA at the moment," Paul said. "What he does around the rim, the little floaters and midrange game, the way he creates contact, gets into guys, creates space for himself, it's very effective. That's what I wanna be able to put into my game."
Asked about an underrated part of his game: "I think my downhill game, creating around the keyway, the little floater, jump-shot kind of thing," Paul said. "And then, my shooting is coming along, so working on that, continuing to create my own shot off the three, creating my own shot, whether it's downhill, midrange, three-point shot, I think I'm getting a lot better at that."
The vision for how it all connects is already there. "Jack McVeigh and Reyne Smith; if I come off an on-ball and I throw it to the corner," Paul says. "It's gonna be money every time. Just knowing guys, that when I throw it to them, it's gonna be green."
There is, of course, an inherent gamble in handing a teenage point guard the keys to a professional team's offense; even if that's a backup's set of keys. The NBL can be a physical, unforgiving league, and Next Stars prospects -- especially point guards - for all their talent, have occasionally found the adjustment steeper than anticipated. The gap between the junior basketball level and a full professional season is real, and no amount of a prospect's hype eliminates that reality entirely.
But the upside here is genuine. Paul has demonstrated production at the highest junior level, possesses elite size for the position, and has a feel for the game that rivals any Australian prospect who has come before him. It's what gives Forde the confidence to build a two-year plan around him.
And then, there's the self-belief.
"I've worked hard enough to know that, when I step on the court, I'm good enough to play at any level," Paul said. "The work I've done behind the scenes is gonna help me, and gives me confidence I can step onto the court and be effective."
In the NBL's Next Stars program, that combination of talent, upside, and self-assurance has produced NBA Draft picks before.
Luke Paul, wide smile and all, is intent on being next.