Clippers excited about Keaton Wagler

Inglewood, CA (News4usonline) – The Los Angeles Clippers welcomed Keaton Wagler to his new home with a brief press conference at Intuit Dome. Wagler made his Clipper debut a day after he was drafted by the team with the No. 5 overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. 

Getting to the NBA Draft to being picked as one of the best players has been a whirlwind trip for Wagler. He spent a year playing for the University of Illinois, where he averaged nearly 18 points (17.9) and five rebounds a game. 

Prior to that, Wagler honed his basketball skills at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. Wagler describes his basketball journey has been one of wonderment.   

“Yeah, it, it’s amazing, really,” the soft-spoken Wagler said. “I’m definitely blessed to be able to do that and have an organization that trusts me to be one of the top picks in the draft, especially in this loaded draft class. And it, it’s kind of crazy to see how fast things moved, especially kind of being under recruited and underrated, but for me, I kind of never worried about those things. Just stayed true to myself and worked hard and everything paid off.” 

Clippers general manager Lawrence Frank is high on what Wagler could possibly bring to the Clippers and his potential.

“He’s got great positional size,” Frank said during the introductory press conference for Wagler. “He’s extremely skilled. We talked about last night just his off the dribble shooting and how that sets up his game. But I think what makes him unique is his feel, his IQ, just his ability to process the game, his ability to problem solve throughout. 

“Those of you who are local know, I remember that UCLA game and just that game, they were down, come back in overtime and just his ability, he gets in the paint, he draws a couple people, he kicks it out, missed the shot, but he’s right there just to field offensive, rebound to win the game,” Frank added.  

Scoring won’t be a problem for Wagler. During the 2025-26 season, Wagner proved he could score under the bright lights, averaging nearly 18 points (17.9) and five rebounds a game for the University of Illinois. The key to that success is making sound, quick decisions without going into panic mode, Wagler said.  

“I think just staying under control and not getting sped up is something that I do really well and not panicking when I get into the paint and see multiple defenders,” Wagler remarked. “And for me, it’s just always just been making the right play.” 

“And so when I get down to the paint I read the defense and there’s a lot of people helping just getting the ball out of my hands and not trying to make a hero play or shoot a tough shot, but just playing how I always play by making the right play and just doing whatever the team, whatever I can do to help the team win,” he went on to say.  

By making Wagler a Top 5 pick, the expectations of deliverables may exceed his thin frame. Then again, it may not. You look around the NBA, the league is full of young bucks who are proving or would like to prove that they got next. 

As far as the Clippers goes, the Paul George dynamic is finally behind the ballclub. But like other teams around the NBA, the roster is in flux with free agency about to hit. Some players will stay put. Others will move on.

What’s certain is that all eyes will be on Wagler from here on out. How well will Wagler pan out? No one knows. There is going to be a lot of expectations for the 6-foot-5 guard to be THAT guy. It’s not too often a team gets a Top 5 draft pick. The Clippers have to be counting their blessings.  

The last time the Clippers had a selection in the first 10 top players of a draft was back in 2010. That’s a pretty big gap. And the last time the Clippers got a player in the Top 5 was in 2009 when they chose to select Blake Griffin with the No.1 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. 

Griffin brought fans back to the area during the “Lob City” era with Chris Paul and Deandre Jordan as teammates. Griffin was a huge marketing draw and one of the more electric flyers in the game during his heyday. Wagler may not be Griffin, but he has buzz.  

“it’s all about winning and it doesn’t have to be flashy, it’s just whatever it’s going to take,” Frank said. “We talked to a bunch of his teammates and they all talked about how great a teammate he is. He’s a great competitor, but he’s someone you want to play with and play for.”