tmorgan wrote:I’m all for any positive comp on Wagler, because I want to believe he’s a couple years and body improvement away from a star guard. It really can’t be Knueppel, though. The body types are way too different for that to work.
Wagler plays kinda slow, or “controlled”, like Cade, if you want to spin it more positively. But unlike Cade, and unlike Kon, he’s a twig. I think he has more ball control skills than Kon will ever likely have, and may end up better in that regard than Cade as well, but I doubt he’ll ever be as stout as those guys, which means he’s going to have to be a lot more crafty to get free.
No one should be comped to the current MVP, but if Wagler is going to hit anywhere near his top outcomes, that’s the guy he needs to steal some moves from. SGA is a one-of-one, but that doesn’t mean Wagler can’t be some kind of lesser version in the same general style.
I agree. He's going to fall somewhere on the SGA-DLo scale. The good thing is that he draws fouls more like Shai:
College FTr
Wagler: .476
SGA: .464
DLo: .303
I think that's telling and bodes well for his potential. Speaks to his basketball IQ, aggressiveness, willingness to play physically despite his current slight frame, and general style of play. Combine that with good character, work ethic, and all-around intangibles, and the ceiling is the moon. There's a lot of real estate between Gilgeous-Alexander and Russell; as you said, a lesser version of the current MVP is a damn good player.
I think he's, at worst, a better D'Angelo Russell.
