ngl very rough first game for Wagler
Illini in the Pros (Basketball)
- Status
Really a rough first game for Wagler here.
Clippers have 52 shot attempts and kings have 71.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Rough start for Keaton, huh? Didn’t have a chance to watch the game, but the box score isn’t pretty. 7 points on 1-7 shooting. 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and a -23 in a 6 point loss.
I watched the game. He was very passive. Rarely looked for his own shots, compared to Acuff who did very well in this game. Not sure if by design or first game nerves. The Kings defended him very hard. Doubled teamed him a surprising amount for a summer league game. He had trouble getting any kind of space all game long. Also all his misses were short. To make matters worse, his teammates were all big time chuckers and barely looked to pass to him, even when he was wide open.
honestly kinda liked it. That’s our Keaton, just go out there and get a feel, and play. Not worried about chucking.
He needs to play better. But dude is fine.
Plus ice watched enough summer league to get an idea who it is and isn’t built for lol
He needs to play better. But dude is fine.
Plus ice watched enough summer league to get an idea who it is and isn’t built for lol
Is 6/20 with 4 turnovers all that great?
I think people need to remember that Keaton was drafted for his processing and shiftiness.
It was apparent vs. rugged defenses last year that his handle and finishing were a major work in process as he continues to fill out his frame.
Look at Ayo now vs. even at Illinois. He’ll get there. He was graduating high school 13 months ago. Not everyone comes into the league like LeBron. Yaxel is 24. That’s 5 years from now for Keaton.
It was apparent vs. rugged defenses last year that his handle and finishing were a major work in process as he continues to fill out his frame.
Look at Ayo now vs. even at Illinois. He’ll get there. He was graduating high school 13 months ago. Not everyone comes into the league like LeBron. Yaxel is 24. That’s 5 years from now for Keaton.
Anybody judging any of these players off of summer league should settle down. These games are all about chucking shots and sloppy play. These are not the players that the top players will be playing with on a regular basis. I kind of wish it would go away but I know it won't.
It looked like the speed of the game bothered him. We played super slow, so that was okay at Illinois. In the NBA, it'll be a lot faster.
Also, his lack of athleticism is real. His 2pt percentage at Illinois was bad. It was literally, his only weakness.
Overall, I'm not sure he's the primary ball handler for an NBA team. His floor is quite high, since he can be great as a secondary playmaker and off ball shooter. From that standpoint, it's hard to see him as a bust candidate.
Is there as much star potential as a guy like Acuff? No.
But the shooting and size should eventually pan out. He was a top 3 shooter in the whole draft.
This is really a useless line of thought because we can do it with every team.
2022 -- if Adam was still here, would Plummer get the same opportunity??
2023 -- if Kofi was back, do we still get Terrance? And even if we do, then is he as good with Kofi clogging the middle?
2024 -- if we got RayJ, is Marcus getting the same opportunity?? Also, is Terrance that good too?
2025 -- If we get Egor Demin do we get KJ??
2026 -- If Morez stayed do we get Mirk? If we got Sarr or Dix do we get Andrej? If we got KJ and Riley back, do we get Andrej and is Keaton the same player?
(Slight note on Andrej/Riley -- we got Andrej's commitment before Riley's decision deadline, and if he wanted to come back due to falling draft stock, we had a bag waiting for him just in case. It was said by Insiders all along. It's moot, since he went on to be a lock 1st rounder.)
2027 -- Almost certainly will be tied to Blackwell in some way, shape, form.
.....
Every team just has its own journey and makeup. Analyzing these "what if" scenarios are just brainrot.
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blackdog
- Champaign
Also in his first summer league games last year KJ seemed like he couldn't put the ball on the floor at all without turning it over. He went on to have a pretty nice rookie year once he started playing more.
Emmanuel Sharpe was his assignment the whole game.
It's only one game. Hope Keaton bounces back.
He looked a lot more poised and comfortable than Wagler. It's not close who won that matchup.
Well, he was -23 in a six point loss
Yeah Acuff even said he played poorly in his postgame interview
foby
- Bonnaroo Land
FIFY
summer league is baptism by fire. Almost infinite of fouls favor strong players. Keaton is on the other end of the spectrum so I am not too surprised.
Overreaction to Keaton's first NBA summer league game is kind of humorous. I recall many in our fanbase saying that the summer and preseason Keaton hype was overblown when he didn't light it up in the first couple of games last fall.
It's going to take him some time for him to adjust, and he's also not the type of player that's going to flourish in unstructured summer league.
It's going to take him some time for him to adjust, and he's also not the type of player that's going to flourish in unstructured summer league.
There's countless examples of fans overreacting to Summer league play. It's a tale as old as time. If you play poorly in your first Summer leage game, you're a bust in the eyes of many online fools.
stlrunner
jakeyjakey
- St Louis, MO
Good offseason practice for the board to make sure we are ready for the 26-27 season come November!
For perspective...First Game NBA summer league Stats on 2026 Draft Pics
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=a0c2...W1lcitsZWFndWUrc3RhdHMmZm9ybT1DU0JSQU5E&ntb=1
2026 NBA Summer League — Top 10 Draft Picks’ First-Game Stats
Here’s a snapshot of the first-game performances from the top 10 2026 NBA draft picks in the Summer League, based on opening weekend results.1. Kingston Flemings (No. 8, Hawks) – 5 pts, 1 reb, 8 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl; 2-of-7 FG Bleacher Report+1.
2. Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 11, Warriors) – 19 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 6-6 FG, 4-4 3PT Fadeaway World.
3. Darryn Peterson (No. 2, Jazz) – 28 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk; 11-21 FG, 4-7 3PT Fadeaway World.
4. Cameron Boozer (No. 3, Grizzlies) – 15 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast; 7-11 FG Fadeaway World.
5. Darius Acuff Jr. (No. 7, Kings) – 25 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast; 9-29 FG Fadeaway World.
6. Aday Mara (No. 12, Thunder) – 10 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk; 5-8 FG Fadeaway World.
7. Bennett Stirtz (No. 13, Thunder) – 10 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl Al Bat.
8. Cameron Carr (No. 14, Lakers) – 26 pts, 8 reb vs. Golden State; 19 pts, 5 3PT vs. Miami Al Bat.
9. Zuby Ejiofor (No. 15, Hawks) – 12 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl; 2-of-7 FG Al Bat.
10. Tarris Reed Jr. (No. 16, Spurs) – 10 pts, 7 reb, 1 blk; 3-of-10 FG Al Bat.
Notable trends:
- Playmakers: Flemings (8 ast), Lendeborg (6 ast), and Stirtz (4 ast) showed strong passing in their debuts.
- Scorers: Peterson (28 pts) and Carr (26 pts) led the way offensively, with Carr also hitting multiple threes.
- Defensive impact: Mara (2 blk), Reed Jr. (1 blk), and Ejiofor (3 stl) stood out on the defensive end.
- Efficiency: Lendeborg’s 6-for-6 shooting and Peterson’s 4-for-7 from deep highlighted efficient nights.
FightinIllini30
Future insider
- Status