As of late, Keaton Wagler has been playing exceptional basketball. He’s scoring relatively well, especially from beyond the arc, making the right reads, and playing just how the LA Clippers need him to. The numbers back it up: against the Miami Heat, the rookie had 11 points and three made three-pointers, then followed up with 15 points and four assists against the New Orleans Pelicans.
One would think, based on these numbers and what we’ve seen from Wagler all season, he deserves more time on the court. Well, head coach Tyronn Lue sees otherwise, as he has played him under 20 minutes in three out of the last four games.
This is poor coaching from Lue. He knows how highly the Clippers view Wagler, and even though the 19-year-old is meeting expectations, he still chooses to play him minimally.
Keaton Wagler deserves far more minutes than he is receiving
What more does Keaton Wagler need to do as a rookie to prove to Tyronn Lue that he deserves more minutes in the rotation?
In the home game versus the Miami Heat, Wagler scored in double figures, but the box scores don't show that he was one of the primary reasons the LA Clippers built a large lead.
In the seven minutes Wagler played in the second quarter, he scored 9 points, shot 100% from the field, and finished with a +27. The Clippers were up by 15 at the half.
How many minutes did he end with? 16. Yes, you read that right, and what was the outcome? The Clippers went on to lose in overtime to a game-winning three-pointer from Klay Thompson.
Lue reportedly acknowledged where he went wrong and apologized to Wagler for not playing him enough. This seemed like a good sign.
Lue then repeated the same mistake against the New Orleans Pelicans, the same game where Wagler had the most efficient double-digit scoring performance by any rookie this season.
To some degree, it’s understandable why Lue is prioritizing the veterans early in the year. They need to be valued on the market at the trade deadline, and the only way to do that is to play them quite a bit.
There is a middle ground, though, and Lue is overlooking it. He can easily increase Wagler’s minutes to 25+ and still play guys like Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., and Max Strus roughly the same amount.
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