Keaton Wagler

From Shawnee, Kansas and a deep basketball family—parents Logan and Jennifer both played at Hutchinson Community College—Wagler entered college as a four-star recruit out of Shawnee Mission Northwest rather than a McDonald's All-American. He outperformed his ranking at Illinois, setting the program's freshman single-season scoring record with 663 points while averaging 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists on 39.7% three-point shooting across 37 games. A 6'5" combo guard, he reads ball screens, rebounds his position, and shoots off movement; a slender frame and average burst raise questions about creating separation against NBA athletes. He earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year and first-team all-conference honors, then went fifth overall to the Clippers—via a pick acquired from Indiana—to add backcourt shooting and secondary playmaking.