LOS ANGELES (WCIA) – Keaton Wagler, hailing from Illinois, has caught the attention of the NBA as he embarks on his professional journey, having been drafted as the second-highest Illini player ever.
Grant Mona, who covers the Clippers for the Sporting Tribune, shared insights with WCIA on Monday regarding LA’s decision to draft Wagler and their plans for the Shawnee, Kansas native.
Mona noted that Wagler emerged late as a prospect, seemingly overlooked until his freshman year at Illinois put him on the radar.
A key factor in the Clippers’ choice was Wagler’s potential synergy with Darius Garland. LA had acquired Garland during the 2025-26 season in a pivotal trade that sent James Harden to Cleveland.
“It was Wagler’s impressive off-the-ball shooting and catch-and-shoot capabilities that caught the Clippers’ eye,” Mona revealed. “Teaming up with Darius Garland, they’re building around their young talent. With Garland as their franchise’s two-time All-Star guard, Wagler is seen as a perfect fit to complement him and serve as the primary point guard when Garland isn’t on the court, which truly intrigued the Clippers.”
However, he says, the Clippers fell in love with more than Wagler’s on-court ability.
“They loved his character, they loved his IQ. They loved that he had to grind his way from being somebody that nobody talked about to being a top five pick in the NBA Draft, in a deep draft,” Mona said.
What does success look like for Wagler in the NBA? Naturally, as many have noted, he will likely need to add physical size and strength in order to be as dominant professionally as he was collegiately. It might take time, but Mona believes the Clippers hope is that Wagler can eventually be the star of the show.
“You don’t have to be an 18 to 20 point per game scorer immediately. If you’re 10 to 12 [points per game] with some assists and show flashes of of brilliance right now, I think that’s a great thing for him,” Mona said. “I think down the line, the Clippers absolutely see a vision of him being the lead player on a contention team in their future. That is why they took him fifth overall. That’s why they’ve been raving about him wherever they go.”
He notes that an early goal for Wagler might just be fitting in, and learning to play with the new pieces around him. The Clippers are in an interesting spot given the roster turnover they have seen, and the looming uncertainty of Kawhi Leonard’s future.
“He can shoot the basketball, he is such an awesome shooter,” Mona says this raises Wagler’s floor. “If you can shoot the basketball in today’s NBA, you are going to be really good for a long time.”
As for his ceiling?
“At the high end, the Clippers absolutely believe that this kid can develop into a lead option on a title team,” Mona said, recalling LA trading away eventual MVP and NBA Champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “I think they’re just hoping that it’s [with] the Clippers this time.”
He also believes Wagler’s family-oriented mentality fits the organization well.
Watch the full interview with Mona above, and check out which Illini could be on 2027 draft boards in the video below: