Overview
Wagner is on track to become the first third-generation NBA player in history as the son of Dajuan Wagner and grandson of Milt Wagner. Wagner had an excellent pre-college career in Camden, NJ. Before his freshman year of high school, he was invited to the USA Basketball July mini-camp – a rare accomplishment. He was named New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year in three consecutive seasons (2021-2023). In 2022, he won gold at the FIBA U17 World Cup. He also secured gold in the non-FIBA GLOBL JAM in 2023. Wagner also participated in the 2023 McDonald’s All-American game (winning MVP) and the 2023 Nike Hoop Summit. He committed to play college basketball at Kentucky. As a one-and-done freshman, he started 28 of his 29 appearances, averaging 9.9 points, 3.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 25.9 minutes. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and was Freshman of the Week three times.
Analysis
Wagner is a crafty scorer with a deep bag of moves to shake defenders, whether it be in isolation or ball-screen actions. He thrives around the rim, capable of finishing through contact with both hands. He’s a solid passer but is often in a score-first mode. His shot is also inconsistent, as he was 28-of-96 (29%) from three and 49-of-64 (77%) from the charity stripe. A bigger frame would help Wagner defensively, which is a weak point of his game.
Projection
Wagner may be able to provide spark-plug scoring off the bench at the NBA level. However, his future is complicated by his lack of a reliable jumpshot at point guard size, and subpar defense. Depending on how he develops, Wagner could end up with an NBA game similar to Dion Waiters, Will Barton or Monta Ellis. Reps in the G League could help him get comfortable enough to make an impact off the bench sooner than later.
— Profile by RotoWire