Grading Clippers Rookie Keaton Wagler's First 10 Career NBA Games

Ten games into his NBA career, guard Keaton Wagler has given the Los Angeles Clippers a little bit of everything, from a strong debut to a few nights where the shots would not fall, which is about what anyone should expect from a 19-year-old rookie.

The Clippers took Wagler fifth overall out of Illinois in the 2026 draft, and he has played in all 10 games so far, all of them off the bench.

With the team sitting at 2-8 and 13th in the West after Tuesday's 133-110 loss at Phoenix, it feels like a fair time to grade what he has shown.

Wagler is averaging 12.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 23.2 minutes per game.

He is shooting just 32.9% from the field, but he is making 35.4% of his 3-pointers and 86.0% of his free throws, so he is at least making teams pay when they foul him.

He came out fast, putting up 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in a 121-96 win over Sacramento in his debut.

His career high came in the second meeting with the Lakers on Oct. 28, when he scored 21 points, although he needed 15 shots to get there and made just four of them while going 10-of-12 at the line.

Head coach Tyronn Lue liked what he saw right away.

"I like his poise, I like his ability to make plays and take shots as well," Lue said after the first Lakers game.

The biggest growth has come in how he takes care of the ball, since Wagler had four turnovers in each of his second and third games, back when the turnover problems early on had people talking.

In five November games he is down to one turnover per game, and his shooting has climbed from 28.6% in October to 38.9% this month.

His most efficient game came Sunday against New Orleans, when he scored 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 3-of-4 from deep, in just 18 minutes of a 139-123 win.

That night came after a week of talk about his minutes, since he played only 16 minutes against Miami despite scoring 11 points, and Lue later owned up to the way he handled those minutes.

He still has rough spots, like scoring seven points at Golden State and six against Toronto, and going 3-of-12 with no rebounds at Phoenix on Tuesday, while his minutes have dropped from 26.2 per game in October to 20.2 in November.

I would give Wagler a B-minus, because the shooting percentage holds the grade down, but he has scored in double figures in eight of 10 games, cut down his turnovers and looked comfortable on a team that has had little go right.

His role could shift soon, too, since forward Brandon Ingram is getting close to his debut after heel and Achilles surgery, with his next chance to play coming Friday against Oklahoma City.

The Clippers then host Charlotte on Sunday and Utah on Tuesday, and if Wagler keeps his shooting closer to his November numbers, his grade should keep going up.