The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NBA Draft.The LA Clippers selected Keaton Wagler with the No. 5 pick Tuesday in the 2026 NBA Draft.Wagler averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists in his only season with Illinois, which lost to UConn in the national semifinals.Wagler has great size for an NBA combo guard. At the combine, he measured 6-foot-5 in bare feet with a 6 feet 6 1/4-inch wingspan. Wagler will have no problem playing on or off ball at that size, and he could develop into a flexible positional defender. He’s also a coordinated, balanced athlete. He’s not very explosive, but he maintains his balance at odd angles while playing well off of two feet and changing speeds.By far the biggest question around Wagler’s NBA outlook is his physical frame, which has a lot of room for improvement. He got stronger throughout the course of the year under Illinois’ strength and conditioning staff, widely considered one of the best in college basketball. But he still has a long way to go to be physically ready to play in the NBA. Wagler weighed 188 pounds at the combine.Sam Vecenie’s analysisHow Keaton Wagler came from out of nowhere to become a top NBA prospectSam VecenieI fall in love with players such as Wagler. Players who can dribble, pass, shoot and process the game quickly are tough to pass up for me. Wagler is a terrific bet to play both on and off the ball in an era when the NBA demands those skills from perimeter players. He drills over 38 percent of his pull-up 3s and catch-and-shoot 3s, making him a serious floor-spacing threat. His vision is superb and his handle is tight and slithery, despite playing upright. He’s an elite decision-maker with an excellent feel for the game. This is the kind of player who thrives in today’s NBA, and he’s already played in an NBA-style scheme with NBA-level spacing at Illinois.