Keaton Wagler Went From High School Worries to Top-10 NBA Pick in 12 Months
A year ago, Keaton Wagler was sweating whether he had what it took to carve out a rotational role at Illinois. Now the 6-foot-6 guard is walking into the NBA Draft Combine as a projected top-10 pick, with some scouts eyeing him as high as No. 5 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers. That's the kind of arc that makes your head spin.
"It's definitely surreal," Wagler said this week at Wintrust Arena. "I'm definitely blessed. This doesn't happen to a lot of people getting here and being projected as high as I am. It's a blessing, definitely."
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The wild part? Wagler is the biggest shock of the entire 2026 one-and-done class, which is stacked with elite talent. Of the 13 freshmen ranked in CBS Sports' top-20, 12 were Composite five-star prospects coming out of high school. Wagler? Three-star. He was ranked No. 261 overall in the Composite rankings and No. 150 by 247Sports. He himself thought the odds of becoming a lottery pick were "super, super low" before the season even started.
Then summer happened. Wagler dominated the offseason sessions so thoroughly that Illinois coach Brad Underwood compared him to Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley, the program's only previous one-and-done draft picks. Senior teammate Kylan Boswell straight up said Wagler would be one of the best players ever to wear an Illini uniform and probably wouldn't stick around college for more than two years.
One of the Best Freshman Seasons in Program History
Those bold predictions actually undersold what came next. Wagler went on to have one of the best seasons in Illinois history. The freshman guard became a consensus All-American and the offensive engine that carried the Illini to their first Final Four appearance in 21 years.
Now he's poised to become just the third top-10 NBA Draft pick in program history over the past 50 years. Not bad for a kid who was worried about getting minutes a year ago.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.