After a rough debut in the Clippers’ first Summer League outing, many fans began writing off top-five draft pick Keaton Wagler, prematurely labeling the guard as a bust.
He didn’t write back though.
The nerves caught up to Wagler during his debut in a loss to the Sacramento Kings, where he tallied seven points on 1-for-7 shooting.
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But three days later, he shook those nerves off and showcased the poise he played with as an Illini to lead the Clippers to a blowout win over the Utah Jazz. Wagler led the Clips in scoring with 23 points, going head-to-head with the No. 2 pick in the draft, Darryn Peterson, who also racked up 23 points.
“That second game, all the nerves were out the way,” Wagler said postgame. “I was just playing freely and shots were falling.”
Wagler sank 4-of-7 from 3-point range and showcased his signature step-back to nail his final triple of the night. He also dished out four assists.
Late in the fourth quarter, he even did something that Illini fans had never seen him do in orange and blue: dunk the basketball. If anything, that’s a sign that he’s already adapting to the NBA.
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