A late-blooming freshman with immense potential, Keaton Wagler's impressive versatility and basketball IQ make him a prime sleeper pick for the Kings.
Keaton Wagler has caught the eyes of the NBA world as a late bloomer. He's considered a top-10 draft pick, but Jerry Reynolds believes the Illinois freshman is a sleeper pick for the Sacramento Kings.
Reynolds, a former coach for the Kings, appeared on "The Drive Guys" on Sactown Sports 1140 on Thursday. He spoke about Houston's Kingston Flemings as a potential pick for Sacramento, but shifted to Wagler as a sleeper because of his promising play.
"I like his late development," Reynolds told Kevin Gleason and Allen Stiles. "You know, he really wasn't recruited out of high school much. He's big, he's long, he's athletic. You wonder when that body fills out, you know, the ceiling might be a little higher than some of the other guys might be."
Wagler is 6-foot-6 and weighs 185 pounds, which is a bit underweight compared to other NBA players listed at his height. Devin Booker, Klay Thompson and Jaylen Brown are the same height as Wagler, but weigh 20-40 pounds more.
The freshman guard averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists on 44.5 percent from the field, 39.7 percent from 3-point range and 79.6 percent from the free-throw line.
KingsRoundtable's Lorenzo J. Reyna noted in his draft profile about Wagler that he "trusts his mind to attack defenses" and that teams will love his versatility as an on-ball player or off-ball catch-and-shoot player.
A training regimen could help Wagler add more muscle to his frame, which would aid him in handling the increased physicality at the NBA level.
The hype surrounding the Shawnee, Kansas native is real, especially after carrying his regular season performance into the NCAA Tournament. Wagler averaged 18 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists on the grandest stage of college basketball.
Despite Wagler's performance in the NCAA Tournament, Reynolds advised patience toward draft picks who don't immediately pan out.
"I mean, very few guys are going to come in and check all the boxes right away," Reynolds said. "You need patience, but I think there are some things where you clearly see that they probably don't have the game you thought they had."
If drafted by Sacramento, Wagler would battle for minutes with Devin Carter, Nique Clifford, Malik Monk and Zach LaVine at the guard spot.
His shooting and IQ in the pick-and-roll game could play a significant role in earning early minutes in his rookie campaign, but becoming stronger to upscale his game in the NBA is crucial to long-term success.
The Kings have the fifth-best odds in June's draft, having an 11.5-percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick or a 45.2-percent chance of landing within the top four.
While the odds of Sacramento coming out of the draft with BYU's AJ Dybansta, Kansas' Darryn Peterson, Arkansas' Darius Acuff or Duke's Cameron Boozer, are high, Reynolds would not be opposed to his former team selecting Wagler by the off-chance the team drops outside the top four.
Wagler's fundamentals are strong, and Reynolds believes the 19-year-old's potential is high if he fills out his frame.
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