Los Angeles Clippers rookie Keaton Wagler already has his fair share of doubters before even playing his first game in the league.
The Clippers made Wagler the 5th overall pick in a draft many consider to have an elite first foursome. Wagler looked like the odd man out of the top five in his NBA Summer League debut Thursday in a point guard showdown against fellow rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr.
While Acuff had 19 points and 7 assists in a 91-85 Sacramento Kings victory, Wagler finished with 7 points on 1/7 shooting and had a team-worst -23 during his time on the court.
Several fans felt like the performance raised red flags about Wagler, and that same chatter echoed through the first half of Sunday’s game against the Utah Jazz. After a 2/9 shooting clip with 5 points at halftime, fans were sounding the alarms once more.
The Clippers (and their fans) have to be sick watching Keaton Wagler through 1.5 SL games. This is ugly.
— Draft Dummies (@DraftDummies) July 13, 2026
Not one to react to anything in the Summer League.
— Josh Gitt (@joshgitt1987) July 13, 2026
But yikes, Keaton Wagler does not look good at all.
Keaton Wagler is garbage. He looks legitimately scared out there.
— Raheem Palmer (@iamrahstradamus) July 13, 2026
Wagler has major bust potential. Idk if he will be able to handle heavy ball pressure and nba level defenders. His lack of physical tools was such a glaring flaw
— K.C. (@Not___KC) July 13, 2026
Peterson is bullying him
The Illinois alum responded to all the noise in the third quarter. He went off for 18 points, including a nasty stepback to bury the Jazz in a 77-54 hole.
🚨 Make that 18 POINTS for Keaton Wagler in the third quarter!! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/8MUYEfEfkS
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) July 13, 2026
Some fans, however, still weren’t convinced. Many felt like the biggest concern remained to be Wagler’s inability to drive past borderline NBA defenders, regardless of if his outside shot is falling or not.
Funniest thing about this Keaton Wagler game is that you can tell it's fake. Contested stepbacks and middys are not consistently good shots in summer league but it's nice to see he *can*
— rodlo 🪬 (@roddystr) July 13, 2026
Gosh, I hate admitting this because he was such a killer in College.
— Jordan Stocks (@StockTalks21) July 13, 2026
But man, Keaton Wagler can’t get by anyone with the dribble in Summer League.
He’s basically a catch & shoot guy or taking long, contested jumpers 😬
Wagler finished with 23 points on 6/16 shooting to go along with 4 assists in a 104-82 Clippers victory. He matched No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson, who also had 23 points on a worse 6/18 clip.
While there may be legitimate concerns about Wagler’s athleticism down the line, it’s nearly impossible to project a teenager’s entire career based on two NBA Summer League games. Calling him a bust after he scored 23 points in a glorified exhibition game seems borderline ridiculous.
Only time will tell if his detractors were right or if Wagler turns into the star the Clippers were hoping for.
