To say the least, there have been mixed opinions on Keaton Wagler’s summer league performance thus far. To some, he’s been great through excellent shooting, and in the eyes of others, the majority has been disappointing, particularly due to a poor impact around the rim.
Well, Zach Buckley of 'Bleacher Report' evaluated Wagler and gave him a C-minus. Though that may hurt to accept, as he was the fifth overall pick, it’s fair to say the rookie has been average, making the evaluation spot on.
In the same breath, the reality is that Wagler has underperformed heavily compared to the other lottery picks. And while that’s not entirely his fault, given how stacked the class is, it goes to show that he will have to be in his A-game in the regular season to justify the LA Clippers taking him so high.
Average is the best way to describe how Keaton Wagler has performed
In Keaton Wagler’s second summer league game, he looked elite all around. He dropped 23 points, had a takeover third quarter where he scored 18 of them, and took pretty good care of the basketball while showing up ready to hoop to the doorstep of Darryn Peterson, the standout second overall pick of the Utah Jazz.
But, outside of that, in games one and three, Wagler has not necessarily done anything special for him to be ranked alongside guys like Caleb Wilson, Cam Boozer, and even Yaxel Lendeborg.
For context, in those two contests combined, Wagler posted 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, shooting 7-22 from the field and 2-10 from beyond the arc.
Not really a ton to be excited about, right? He played just about how a rookie might in their first couple of games at the highest level of basketball.
Moving forward, for the rest of the summer, Wagler will have to work closely with the LA Clippers’ trainers and coaches to improve in the areas he struggled with.
This includes finding ways to make an impact inside the paint, creating space more effectively, and really understanding how to use his 6’6 frame to his advantage.
Additionally, Wagler will have to hit the weight room. We saw, loud and clear, the 19-year-old is relatively small in terms of strength, compared to his competition.
That said, Bleacher Report’s grade on Wagler is as fair as it gets. That’s neither good nor bad when looking at everything as a whole.
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