The anticipation was high for Keaton Wagler, as he was making his NBA Summer League debut on Thursday night.
Just weeks ago, the Los Angeles Clippers selected the former Illini guard No. 5 overall. This made him get a ton of national attention, and rightfully so. That high of a pick is going to get a lot of the spotlight.
Thursday night was the debut for Wagler. We finally get to see him in the NBA in some form or fashion. Sadly, that debut didn’t end well.
Wagler went out there and completely laid an egg. He finished the game playing just over 26 minutes and had seven points, two rebounds, and one assist.
The shooting was a struggle for Wagler. He was just 1-of-7 from the field and 1-of-5 from three-point range. The points came from the free throw line, where he was 3-of-4. Wagler’s -23 box plus/minus was not a great look.
Wagler had a chance to speak with the media after the loss and the bad first outing.
“It was definitely super physical. The Kings have already had some games under their belt, so they kind of knew what it was going to be like.”
This was one of the weak points for Wagler coming out of Illinois. He needed to get stronger. When he would drive in the lane and take hits, the kid would go flying.
Since departing Champaign, Wagler has added 20 pounds. He addressed this in the postgame interview.
“Definitely just by taking bumps, and you know that's been a big part of what I've been doing these past few weeks, is continuing to get stronger. That's going to be a big thing for me is once I get able to just absorb these bumps, I'll be able to get more foul calls and get to the rim easier.”
Wagler stood there and took the questions after the bad game. This was probably one of the worst intros into the NBA from a top 10 pick I have ever seen. Instead of just being angry and out of control, Wagler showed off his best trait that he has as a player.
He is cool, calm, and collected.
Wagler never got too high or too low at Illinois. He always carried himself as a professional, and he never doubted his abilities on the court.
That is what this postgame interview showed me, too. Wagler just laid an egg in his first NBA outing, but he isn’t worried. He isn’t going to panic. Wagler doesn’t throw his teammates under the bus. He is more of a nose to the grindstone type of guy.
“This is the first game. We are going to be fine. I am going to be fine. I am going to take that, watch the film on it, and get back for the next one.”
Wagler’s cool, calm, and collected mentality is going to pay off in a big way with the Clippers. When the times are tough, he is going to use that mentality to help lead Los Angeles through and to the other side.
On top of that, Wagler knows he didn’t become a bad basketball player overnight. He has all of the talent in the world, and if I had to bet, Wagler’s numbers will continue to increase each and every game he is on the court in the NBA Summer League.
Keaton Wagler has some stinkers early on at Illinois, but he is a quick learner
This was a bad game for Wagler, and he would probably admit it. That doesn’t mean he is a bad player, though. He is adjusting to his temporary team and the pace of the game.
Wagler did this in the college game, too. He laid some eggs early on at Illinois.
Against Alabama, Wagler had eight points and three rebounds on 2-of-9 shooting from the floor and 1-of-4 from three-point range. He also had five fouls. It was a very similar stat line to his NBA debut.
Wagler had eight points and eight rebounds on 2-of-11 shooting from the floor and 1-of-6 from three-point range against UT Rio Grande Valley, and he followed that performance with a showing of three points and one rebound on 1-of-3 shooting from the floor and 1-of-2 from three-point range against UConn.
These three games were three out of Wagler’s first eight games in college. After that UConn game, Wagler didn’t have another single-digit scoring outing. He finished the season averaging 17.9 points per game and shooting 39.7% from three-point range.
Wagler is a smart kid. He is just getting the lay of the land. Trust his cool, calm, and collected mentality more than what the box score shows. This is only the beginning of great things to come.
Add us as a preferred source on Google