The Los Angeles Clippers found themselves in a fascinating spot in the 2026 NBA Draft.
They held the No. 5 overall pick on a draft board in which the top-four seemed destined to be AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson — and that’s exactly how the four picks before the Clippers went.
That left the Clippers with a choice between an impressive point guard class.
Any one of the options — Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, Arkansas’ Darius Acuff, Houston’s Kingston Flemings, Louisville’s Mikel Brown and Arizona’s Brayden Burries — would’ve been a justifiable choice at the No. 5 spot.
The Clippers took Wagler.
And while it’s super early, there’s already a bit of reason for concern with how that pick is looking relative to the others.
Keaton Wagler Stats
Wagler has gotten ample playing time in the early going, averaging 25 minutes per game through the Clippers’ first six games.
His basic averages don’t look bad, either — Wagler is averaging 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
There’s concern when you get to the shooting numbers, though. Wagler is shooting a ghastly 28.1% from the floor.
His 3-point shooting is at 31.3%, while he props things up with an 88.1% mark from the foul line.
His free throw shooting suggests that Wagler could grow into a better 3-point shooter, but the overall shooting rate is a concern because of the worries that surrounded Wagler coming to the league.
He’s not as athletic on a raw level as some of the other guards in his class. Wagler wasn’t even a top-100 recruit to Illinois.
He took the country unexpectedly by storm as a freshman, but his game is based more on craft and less on explosion. That can work, but the margins for error are thinner.
If Wagler can’t get open enough to create better looks and shoot more efficiently, his NBA career might never reach a great ceiling. He struggled at Summer League more than you’d want the No. 5 pick to struggle in that setting, and he hasn’t alleviated all the concerns yet.
Other 2026 Rookie Point Guards
The next pick after Wagler was Mikel Brown to the Nets, and he’s actually shooting even worse — 27.3% from the floor — while averaging 10.3 points and 4.3 assists per game.
Acuff went No. 7 to the Kings, and he has the greenest green light a rookie has ever had. He’s averaging 26.3 points and 6.3 assists per game on insane shot volume in the early going.
Flemings went to the Hawks at No. 8 and is playing a bit less but shooting 47.6% from the floor and 38.5% from 3 while averaging 7.1 points and 4.6 assists per game.
Burries rounded it out to the Bucks at No. 10. He’s been at 47.1% from the floor but just 29.4% from 3 while averaging 8.8 points and 3.7 rebounds early on.
It’ll take a while for the verdict to be in on all of these players. But with the Clippers picking at the start of the run of these point guards, there was always a decent chance they wouldn’t end up with the best one.
Clippers May Have Made Mistake Drafting Keaton Wagler Over 4 Other Point Guards