The Draftstack

Australia’s next high feel star Luke Paul is heading to Duke for the 2027-28 season. The Australian basketball pipeline to the NBA continues to trend upward each year. Luc Longley was the first big breakthrough for the Aussies as the No. 7 overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Longley was a high-feel big known for his smart reads and decisions as a prospect, while still doing traditional big-man things.

In the modern NBA, the “All-Star role player” has become one of the league’s most valuable archetypes. Think Derrick White, Alex Caruso, Jrue Holiday, and, on the more offensive side of the ball, Desmond Bane. They aren’t the type of franchise players teams hunt for at the top of drafts, but the way they impact the game by doing the little things helps elevate the stars around them and can separate a good team from a championship-winning team.

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Chaim Galbut’s journey to Division I basketball is not a conventional one. It is a story that begins in Miami, takes a detour through Neve Yaakov in Jerusalem, and now is primed to continue at Duquesne University. Basketball, while central to the story for some, is only one part of it for Galbut. His faith, family, education, personal convictions and willingness to take a different path have all shaped the person and player he is becoming each and every day.

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The legendary ABCD Camp is back after a 20-year absence. The Academic Betterment and Career Development (ABCD) Camp reestablished July 30th-August 2nd 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona at The PHHacility. The last time the camp was held was in 2006. The ABCD Camp was founded by Sonny Vaccaro in 1984. Former camp alumni and NBA player Tracy McGrady has taken over as the majority owner, along with partnership with Adidas. The ABCD Camp is an invite-only camp for the nation’s top high school basketball players.

Although the NBA is forever evolving and chasing after the newest, shiniest toy, the need for high-end guard play is something that has always been prevalent. Seemingly every year in the playoffs, us basketball fans are reminded just how valuable having good guard play is. Even if it’s a tertiary guard playing a handful of spot minutes, just having an extra body who can both handle defensive pressure and get the team into sets is a valuable piece.

The modern landscape of the NBA has indoctrinated a clear process as to how it goes about scouting prospects. Players who can blend both high-end athleticism with legit ball skills tend to separate themselves from the general pack, and those who have those gifts on top of analytical prowess are the ones who rise to the top. However, trying to project the development of prospects across years and spot breakout candidates can be a bit more difficult of a task.

This piece marks the third edition of my now-annual “Transferring Down” article, a mainstay in my yearly off-season transfer coverage. I’m excited to write this year’s iteration in particular, as so many legitimate professional prospects decided to move to the mid-major level following disappointing seasons with their former programs.

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