After a disappointing end to his junior season, former St. John’s wing RJ Luis decided to enter the transfer portal. Rick Pitino controversially benched the Big East Player of the Year down the stretch in his loss to Arkansas in the Round of 32. That, along with St. John’s loaded incoming transfer class, led Luis to search for greener pastures.
Regardless of how his season ended, programs will covet Luis and his services. The 6-foot-7 junior wing averaged 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds last season on an average 52.5% true shooting clip as his team’s primary perimeter option. An offensive challenged Red Storm team relied on him for creation and scoring, so he could look to find a new team with more of an offensive support system.
Where Will RJ Luis Land?
Luis declared for the 2025 NBA Draft, so he’ll test those waters as well. As a projected second-round pick, there’s a strong chance he returns to college basketball as one of the country’s best players. The Miami Hurricanes immediately come to mind as a logical fit for Luis next year. Luis grew up and played his high school ball in Miami, making a homecoming all the likelier.
New Miami head coach Jai Lucas flipped five-star wing Shelton Henderson from Duke to Miami and would likely covet Luis in the portal. Most of Miami’s offseason additions thus far have been guards (Dante Allen, Tru Washington, Tre Donaldson) and bigs (Ernest Udeh Jr., Malik Reneau). Luis could help round out a reconstructed Hurricanes roster that would hope to return to ACC relevance.
Luis has also been linked to Auburn, who are always power players in the transfer portal. Any team would want to add a conference player of the year, especially after losing all of their starters from their Final Four run to graduation, the draft or the portal. The Tigers already have two wings incoming — Division II star Elyjah Freeman and freshman Abdul Bashir — but it would make sense for Auburn to pursue an experienced upgrade in Luis.
The defending National Champion Florida Gators also make sense for a possibly Luis play. We’ve already seen Florida lose Denzel Aberdeen to Kentucky, and they won’t have Will Richard or Alijah Martin on the wing either. Thomas Haugh is likely to return, but there’s still a chance he enters the NBA Draft. Even with Haugh around, Todd Golden would welcome Luis’s on-ball creation to the roster.
Luis will also test the NBA Draft waters, hoping to receive positive feedback from teams throughout the process. Mock drafts project him as a second-round pick at best, and he doesn’t feature on Rookie Scale’s consensus board.
