Keaton Wagler, 6'6, 180, SG, Illinois, Fr.

• Comp: Devin Booker / Desmond Bane / Klay Thompson

• Ceiling: ALL-NBA

• Floor: Bench

• 6'6, 180, SG

• His body is built to be a defender

• High IQ

• 3-level-scorer

• Just a flamethrower offensively

• Very small, especially for his height, he needs to add weight

• Playmaking could improve

• Good AST/TO ratio

• Very efficient shooter

• Solid rebounder

• Shakes off bad plays, very good at moving onto the next play

• Has improved as the season has gone on and he's gotten more comfortable, this has shown in every facet of his game but ESPECIALLY his scoring

• Expectation: Borderline ALL-NBA; Reliable 3 and D wing that can change a game if he gets hot, and he gets hot most of the time

Strengths: Great Scorer, Can Score on all Three Levels, Great Efficiency, Shot Selection, Tall for his Position,

Weaknesses: Strength, Explosiveness, Finishing, Off Ball Awareness, Pressure,

Draft Range/6-10, Role/Perimeter Shooter, Player Comp/SGA, Ceiling/All NBA, Floor/Key Rotation, Expectation/Starter, Position/SG

Pros:

1. Amazing Shotmaker

2. Good at driving into the defense

3. Positional size for a Combo Guard

4. Good Length

5. Solid Defense

Cons:

1. A little lanky, needs to get stronger

2. More situational awareness

3. Room to Improve Defensively

Pro Comp: LaMelo Ball with less playmaking and more defense.

Ceiling: All NBA Floor: Benchwarmer, Shotmaker only

Best Team Fits: Sacramento, Washington, Utah, Dallas Calling Card: Sharpshooting, dissecting the defense

Keaton Wagler: Freshman, 18 yo., 185 Lbs., 6’6”

Season Stats: 17.5 PPG | 5 RPG | 4 APG | 0.7 STL | 0.3 BLK | 47.7 FG% | 43.5 3PT% |82.6 FT%

This dude was defiantly overlooked. Broke the Illinois freshman scoring record with 46 points. He’s the real deal.

PROS:

-Elite handles

-Great basketball IQ

-Great 3PT and FT rate

-Draft age

-Finishing at the rim

-Very sneaky and can make a shot anywhere

-Super fluid

-High potential

CONS:

-Frame; needs to add body mass

-Would like to see him finish in the paint a little more

-Not the most athletic or explosive athlete

-His build hinders his defense

-STL and BLK rate

PRO COMP: Shai + 3PT shooting

CEILING: All-NBA

FLOOR: High-end bench piece

EXPECTATION: Starter

FITS: Grizzlies, Thunder, Wizards

My pick for the biggest surprise of the college/recruitment season has to be Keaton Wagler of Illinois. The Illini were an off-season darling because they assembled a "balkan 5" of European players who were set to take the country by storm but it has actually been their 4-star freshman guard, Wagler, who is the engine behind their fantastic season this far. At 6'6 and about 185lbs, Wagler has a narrow frame that leaves plenty of room for growth and development but he plays with incredible poise and a ridiculous instinct for scoring the basketball (highlighted by a 46 point explosion against Purdue). Despite lacking strength or explosive athleticism, Wagler uses his confidence and creativity to get all over the court and find scoring opportunities for both himself and his teammates. He stuffs the stat sheet averaging 18/5/4 on 46/43/81 splits; an objectively ridiculous stat line for a college guard. He is an offensive weapon, and won't be heralded for his defensive impact at the next level. The most important question an NBA team will be asking about Wagler before drafting him is how will he be able to adapt to the elite athletes in the NBA to maintain his offensive impact and ability to be a lead ball handler. The foundation and basketball IQ will be in his favor when weighing that question, and at a minimum I think he is going to be an efficient scorer and shooter.

NBA Comp: Derrick White (offensively)

Pros:

• has a nice jumper

• high floor

• great pacing

• good playmaker Cons:

• Not really the fastest

• doesn't have that high a vert

• needs to gain a bit more weight Ceiling: 15 ppg role player Floor: end of bench Player Comp: Ayo dosunmu