Following Potential 2026 Draftees

[HermanG]

I already said I'm not interested in this argument since I'm not a Brown Jr fan or apologist. I had him at 9th in my last big board I did and you said he's not top 10, we might be pretty close on where we would draft him. Ultimately I don't think he's a fit for the Jazz so he's not a guy I want to scout too hard.

But if your argument is that he can only score against slow white guys based off of two games after returning from a back injury, maybe you should go and look at more film.

That was why I was not inpressed by his VT film. I clearly stated that. My stance on his explosiveness comes from at least twice as many games

Ive told you numerous times Im a hot take artist when it comes to draft. If you dont want hot take arguments then maybe stop starting them?

 

[SoberasHotRod]

That was why I was not inpressed by his VT film. I clearly stated that. My stance on his explosiveness comes from at least twice as many games

Ive told you numerous times Im a hot take artist when it comes to draft. If you dont want hot take arguments then maybe stop starting them?

What??? OK, LOL.

I like you as a poster, but I might just have to start ignoring you in this thread.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

No ceilings on locked on mentioned they’re not concerned about it but Wagler doesn’t have a 6th gear, so he is reliant on the pick and roll to create.

He also hasn’t had the same exposure to weights and physical training the other freshman on the eybl/aau circuit have so wonder that might be part of it.

Makes me ever so slightly ponder if he’s a lead guard or a Joe ingles.

I think the appeal of Wagler is mostly as a weapon shooter/scorer starting from spots on the floor where he likes to play. His numbers this year are better than Tre Johnson's last season. He's obviously got playmaking and can play off the dribble.

If you look at the current Jazz team, Wagler is an immediate upgrade from Svi and Brice. He can share the ball with Keyonte.

As for Wagler's frame and athleticism, he's always going to be skinny and he's going to rely on craft like LaMelo and Haliburton, rather than blowing past people. The good news is that he might actually be close to 6'7" in shoes.

 

[rippimpc]

Everyone keeps saying Hali relies on craft but I think he looks really athletic


View: https://x.com/pitlessball/status/2015859377429692611?s=46

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

Everyone keeps saying Hali relies on craft but I think he looks really athletic


View: https://x.com/pitlessball/status/2015859377429692611?s=46

Wagler doesn't have as much burst as Hali right now. He can improve his athleticism, but won't be a high-end athlete by NBA standards.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Everyone keeps saying Hali relies on craft but I think he looks really athletic


View: https://x.com/pitlessball/status/2015859377429692611?s=46

View: https://x.com/mbbperformances/status/2015967541571526778


So for me the comp is more about cadence and how smart they are... also Tyrese gets off the ball and you could see Keaton doing that in ways I don't think most freshmen guards would. I think they both use the threat of the shot to get their space more than blinding speed but Tyrese seems like he's a better athlete for sure.

There aren't perfect one for one comps so i just see shades of Tyrese, Kon, etc in there. If Wagler became a star I could see it in a Haliburton role where he is orchestrating the offense but not necessarily dominating the ball if that makes sense.

 

[KqWIN]

Oh for sure. To be fair... Kon's wagon is unmatched lol.

I could see him having like an Anthony Black type frame. Maybe not as strong since Black did play football (not sure that was ever mentioned lol).

I guess I don't see him with like a super high center of gravity or being overly skinny. And Haliburton actually has some burst/pop that Wagler may not have. He just has a kind of Hally rhythm to him.

The guards are tremendous in this class. Makes me mad we have used picks on Clayton/Collier... would love to find a way to get a second pick and take a shot at Acuff/Burries/Philon/Wagler - whoever slides from this group. Normally one or two guards slide a bit on draft night... hitting a homerun on a Maxey/Brunson type bet would be great.

Skill wise, I see the Kon comparison. I've just learned that Kon's thiccness is not just a meme and actually a great physical gift that we didn't give him credit for. I wouldn't say Wagler's frame is super negative or anything, but Kon's was very positive and I'm going to weigh it more heavily (no pun intended) into my athleticism calculation.

Another guy that's caught my eye is Hugo. Dude is probably one of most athletic rookies in the class and it's not just because he can run, jump, and dunk. He's 220 lbs+ and a wrecking ball. His physical strength is awesome. Surely guys will catch up to him physically, but it's sort of the difference between a guy that can maybe shoot and a guy you already know can shoot.

Idk....that's just my latest draft fixation.

 

[NAOS_pt2]

Wagler is my favorite guy outside of the top tier.

I love his shifty change-of-pace with the ball. Kinda reminds me of the feelings I had about CJ McCollum coming out of the draft. You just knew he was going to be able to create space to get his shot off.

 

[HermanG]

Wagler is my favorite guy outside of the top tier.

I love his shifty change-of-pace with the ball. Kinda reminds me of the feelings I had about CJ McCollum coming out of the draft. You just knew he was going to be able to create space to get his shot off.

Also his ability to read or "feel" the space/defender and get clean shots in their faces without extensive maneuvers is super impressive. That increases his off ball gravity as well.

 

[rippimpc]

No ceilings says Kingston Flemings is closer to 6’5” than 6’4”

 

[NUMBERICA]

No ceilings says Kingston Flemings is closer to 6’5” than 6’4”

No Ceilings is a hype mill, also.

 

[framer]

Oh for sure. To be fair... Kon's wagon is unmatched lol.

I could see him having like an Anthony Black type frame. Maybe not as strong since Black did play football (not sure that was ever mentioned lol).

I guess I don't see him with like a super high center of gravity or being overly skinny. And Haliburton actually has some burst/pop that Wagler may not have. He just has a kind of Hally rhythm to him.

The guards are tremendous in this class. Makes me mad we have used picks on Clayton/Collier... would love to find a way to get a second pick and take a shot at Acuff/Burries/Philon/Wagler - whoever slides from this group. Normally one or two guards slide a bit on draft night... hitting a homerun on a Maxey/Brunson type bet would be great.

1. Collier and Clayton were both excellent picks at the point we selected them. 2. Their contracts will have zero bearing on whatever personnel decisions we make regarding acquisitions going forward.