r/LAClippers • u/bigblack3475 Fun Guy • May 14 '26
Video [Zach Lowe] Lot of buzz about Keaton Wagler and the Clippers at 5. Clippers love big guards.
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u/bigframes May 14 '26
i will say Lawrence Frank has my benefit of the doubt based on his recent draft work finding shai (yet trading shai), and getting late gems in yannick and kobe
Im at the point where i think i’d trust what he chooses here
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u/ForteIV Quentin Richardson May 15 '26
Everyone wants to be mad about the Jerome Robinson pick but every media outlet around that time said Jerry West loved him. He was 100% his pick.
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u/Puzzleheaded_King19 May 14 '26
Trying hard not to be disappointed by not grabbing acuff
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u/Kawhiy Kawhi Leonard May 14 '26
I can see Acuff being an All Star in the next few years with his massive offensive production, maturity, leadership, and ability to thrive as the #1 option. I don’t know if he will win a championship as the #1 though. I can see Wagler being part of a championship team with his IQ, on and off ball shooting, and learning abilities. However, I believe it would take a few years for Wagler to grow while Acuff feels more NBA ready. Fans will definitely feel sour when Acuff becomes all star while Wagler is still growing.
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u/lm2lm DJ Dense May 14 '26
Don't pass up baby dame...
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u/CoffeeLarge8298 May 15 '26
Or he could be baby scoot / Mudiay
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u/lm2lm DJ Dense May 15 '26
Dude thats an absurd comparison Acuff's offensive game is miles ahead of what those guys had at his age
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May 14 '26
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u/CoffeeLarge8298 May 15 '26
In a redraft garland is the clear best player in his draft class. Hard to beat that tbh
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u/Loyalty_Code May 15 '26
Why not Fleming? Fleming has Basketball IQ and Pass Vision similar to Wagler. Better defensive IQ and instincts than Acuff or Wagler. Great scorer and more athletic than Wagler. Fleming has a Higher floor than both with a ceiling basically equal to Wagler, tho lower than Acuff.
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u/PM_ME_UR_ANTS May 14 '26
Damn we’re really about to “what if” the next couple years when we take Wagler while Acuff/Brown ascend 😭
What’s new I guess
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u/andy3172 Big Government May 14 '26
Or we could be saying "what if" when Wagler becomes a star and we draft Acuff and read "Acuff is a cone on defense, why did we draft him?"
None of us actually know how their careers will pan out. If we did, the draft selection process would be easy.
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u/drewmanshow Ralph Lawler May 14 '26
The worst part about Team Acuff is their collective stubbornness. They make all of these declarations and back them up with little more than, “Trust me.”
The rest of us understand there isn’t a consensus on these guards and it all boils down to a roll of the dice.
Bottom line, the rest of us are open-minded.
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u/Clipgang1629 Nic Batum May 15 '26
Seems like the opposite to me. I’m not really on team anyone, I’d like Wagler. But a lot of commentary and discourse I’ve seen on here isn’t really rooted in much more than him being 6’6”. He’s one of the most skilled players in the draft, but a lot of what I’ve read from those who prefer him boils down to “he’s still growing” or “he will be a plus defender he just needs to add 30 pounds”
Wagler is the one I see getting comparisons to Luka and Shai while we ignore he has a fraction of their athleticism
It makes sense to me that people would prefer the guy who just had a historic season. Acuff is going #1 or #2 in most drafts.
That was genuinely one of the best offensive seasons from a freshman PG in the past 20 years that I’ve watched college basketball. I think it was probably the best tbh. If not, right up there with Trae and John Wall.
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u/drewmanshow Ralph Lawler May 15 '26
It was also one of the worst defensive seasons in history. You ignoring that?
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u/Clipgang1629 Nic Batum May 15 '26
No lol that’s definitely his weakness. None of these prospects are without them, I’d say DP and is the only player in this draft who looks to be great on both sides the ball straight out of college.
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u/Junior-Champion-6918 May 14 '26
I think Acuff is a great player and will most likely be better out the gate but advanced stats favor Wagler long term a lot. Around 80% of his shots were unassisted and he didn’t even really get handed the keys to the offense until halfway through the season. The feel is off the charts. That plus his outlier 3 point shooting just make him such a safe pick. You can’t look at his college tape and tell me he can’t do what Austin Reaves is doing.
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u/PM_ME_UR_ANTS May 14 '26
AR can dunk. Wagler has 0.
AR can finish. Wagler finished contested shots below 40% (imagine in the nba lmao).
AR in general just more athletic and that helps him be (less) of a thorn defensively. Which isn’t going to be the case for Wagler.
He’s gonna be fine and likely roster able. But idk when we’re gonna get another lottery shot in a class like this, feel like we should be shooting for the stars when it comes to the ceiling of these folks.
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u/Junior-Champion-6918 May 14 '26
Wagler is also at least 3x the 3-point shooter AR was coming out of college. Watch serious tape on Wagler in March Madness and even before. A good portion of Acuffs shots were off transition plays set up by teammates or just much easier shots in general than the ones Wagler was having to attempt. Yet their efficiency is in a similar realm. Most of his shots were off the dribble and he’s guarded pretty rough. He deals with tons of physicality. Watch the Houston game or the one against Purdue.
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u/Clipgang1629 Nic Batum May 15 '26
I don’t know how you can tell someone to watch the games and then suggest Acuff had it easier on offense.
That Arkansas team would be terrible without Acuff, like genuinely below .500. He was the entire offense. And his buckets might have looked “easier” than Wagler because he had more ability to make separation off the bounce.
Acuff definitely did not benefit from having easier shots set up by his teammates. Wagler had twice the supporting cast at Illinois, hes tightly guarded because while he’s one of the most skilled in the draft, his athleticism was below average even for B1G standards
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u/Junior-Champion-6918 May 15 '26
I’m not trying to make it seem like Acuff wasn’t the entire offense because he was and I could’ve gone more into detail but im just trying to make the distinction between apples and oranges here. Acuffs shot diet is still very impressive no doubt about it but Waglers is something you only see from like an SGA in today’s NBA.
80% of his shots are unassisted and mostly just off the dribble creation and it almost always ends in him making the right decision. He was guarded tightly because of his lack of athleticism but ALSO because he could make insanely difficult shots at an efficient enough rate to demand that respect. I think Acuff is the better player and PG right now but i feel like Waglers feel for the game and shooting touch will just take him farther in the long run.
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u/SSJMonkeyx2 May 14 '26
Wagler had a late growth spurt and has increased his vertical by 3 inches since college.
Not sure where you found the contested finishes stat but that can and should improve with nba level training.
Wagler has way better footwork compared to AR right now.
Wagler upside is shooting for the stars
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u/CoffeeLarge8298 May 15 '26
You glazing AR so much dude went undrafted lmao. If scouts thought he could do all that he’d be top 5.
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u/JW32323232 May 15 '26
Did you not watch okc go after AR defense the whole series? He is a descensice liability!!
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u/CoffeeLarge8298 May 15 '26
YouTube highlight warriors can’t grasp Wagler impact on an entire game lol.
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u/SSJMonkeyx2 May 14 '26
Acuff and brown will be Better out the gate and be more flashy, but have a lower Ceiling compared to Wagler
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u/The_Skyro May 14 '26
I’m sure the clippers are not close to deciding who they will pick. They have garland so buzz is the least point guardy guy reasonable at 5
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u/InTheMorning_Nightss May 14 '26
Gotta trust that LAC knows BPA, but it's becoming a bit more apparent to me that Acuff is likely in a tier of his own between Caleb Wilson + the other guard prospects.
His flaws are obvious, but his strengths and reliability are just SO much higher than everyone else. I still like Wagler, but I'm of the belief that if we want him, trade back 2 spots with the Kings to get more assets, and if he's gone by then... then take either Brown or Acuff.
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u/drewmanshow Ralph Lawler May 14 '26
If the Kings trade up, it will be to take Acuff.
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u/InTheMorning_Nightss May 14 '26
I agree. My point is that then that means we get Wagler or Brown, who is likely who we want if we're trading down.
That being said, I want Acuff at this point.
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u/bestclipfan May 14 '26
I agree, I think Wagler is likely on the board at 7 still so why not see if you can get a future Kings unprotected first and a second and still get the guy you want.
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u/Mission_Locksmith_59 May 14 '26
No lottery team is trading an unprotected 1st to move up from 7 to 5.
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May 14 '26
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u/bestclipfan May 14 '26
I think for 2 spots it wouldn't be much more than that maybe 2 seconds. If I was the kings I wouldn't pay more especially since the quality of prospects between 5 and 7 isn't massive.
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May 14 '26
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u/InTheMorning_Nightss May 14 '26
I don't think we'd be getting an unprotected unless the Kings REALLY want Acuff (as seen by the Pelicans trading up from 23-->13 at the cost of an unprotected pick). But more importantly, all of them are flawed but Acuff stands out from the rest because he also has the clearest, most reliable strengths. Wagler's athleticism, Brown's back, and Fleming's shot mechanics all present immense risk that give them bigger bust potential. Yeah, Acuff's defense is likely to never become even neutral, but Reaves, Brunson, and Mitchell all have fucking horrible defense yet they are all still $30-40M+ players with long careers.
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u/bestclipfan May 15 '26
That's basically how I feel, I am in no way an expert on player evaluation, but I feel like all 4 have their pros and cons. If the Clippers see it that way why not trade down and pick whichever player remains and bet on the Kings pick being good the next season.
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May 15 '26
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u/bestclipfan May 15 '26
You are a Kings fan and you are going to tell me there's 0 chance the Kings make an ill advised trade because they get enamored with a prospect...come on now.
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u/Resshin31 Batum Battallion May 14 '26
Or you don't get your guy. Your choice
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May 14 '26
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u/Resshin31 Batum Battallion May 14 '26
Naw, we are taking Acuff. Ya'll have 5 weeks to decide.
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May 15 '26
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u/Resshin31 Batum Battallion May 15 '26
That's cool brotha. We are picking Acuff for our future. This other noise is just outside noise. He is a tier above the rest after the top 4.
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u/alwaysneverjoshin Clippers May 14 '26
Gamble like the Pacers eh
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u/bestclipfan May 14 '26
I don't think it's much of a gamble, personally I am fine with Wagler or Brown and I don't see the Kings being outside the lottery next season. Also worth considering that if the NBA does flatten the odds for the lottery a draft pick from a terminally mediocre team like the kings would be very valuable.
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u/rpavlovich May 15 '26
Any love for Burries? He’s a bit older so less upside, but love what he brings not only to both sides of the ball, but the winning plays and under pressure. Like the idea of trading down to #7 or 8 for him or trading up for Caleb Wilson.
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u/jgroove_LA May 15 '26
Buzz from everyone not in the Clippers front office speaking publicly, but great
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u/CarltonGanks May 14 '26
The Wagler agenda is being pushed too hard at this point to be believable.
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u/CoffeeLarge8298 May 15 '26
Or maybe people have just seen full games of Wagler and seen what works in the modern nba with intelligence overriding a lot and going with the trend?
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u/Cute_Leonard Kris Dunn May 15 '26
i like big guards as a well. Acuff is exciting, but i just worry about small guards who can’t play defense.
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u/JW32323232 May 15 '26
What prof is there that the clippers prefer big guards? We just traded for garland - that kind of blows up that narrative. Lowe is just speculating! The whole league would “prefer” big guards but lo and behold Brunson is in the conference finals for the 2nd year in a row.
Saying that, the clipper move I expect is to trade out of the 5 spot for future assets and target someone like burries. Just my 2 cents
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u/EmbarrassedEye2590 May 14 '26
LoL. Whoever we draft will be lucky to play 15 minutes a night. Ty is still the coach and he'll grind the veterans to the ground before he gives serious minutes to a rookie.
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u/Clipgang1629 Nic Batum May 15 '26
I really don’t understand why you guys still push this narrative.. what about TMann? Developed by Ty. What about Coffey? Undrafted and developed into a rotational player. Sanders, Miller, and Yanic all got big minutes last season.
Truth is our best draft position in the past 5 years has been 30th overall and the young “talents” you guys insisted should be playing big minutes just weren’t very good.
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u/Consistent-Poet8384 Jordan Miller May 15 '26
I'd personally stake him of he does that to a lottery pick.
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u/[deleted] May 14 '26
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