Keaton Wagler on go screens and Garland: ‘just being more of a second action guy’

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Oct. 14, 2026 — Keaton Wagler started his first home preseason game at Intuit Dome and finished with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes of a 122-110 win over Denver — 4-of-9 from the field, 3-of-7 from three, and a plus-11 that matched what the Clippers wanted from a second ball-handler next to Darius Garland.

Then Wagler sat with reporters and explained the part of the job that does not show up in the box score: go screens, second-side reads, and crashing the glass on a roster that will not always have size.

‘Second action guy’ with Garland

Asked how he and Garland shared the ball, Wagler made the handoff sound ordinary — and useful. “I think it was good, being able to play off him,” he said. “I’ll bring up the ball sometimes, he’ll bring the ball sometimes, just depending on what actions we want to get into. … We got good shots, I got good shots, and then we went off and to the bench and I was still in. That’s when I was a little bit more aggressive to try and look for my own.”

Sharing initiation takes pressure off a rookie who does not want to be hounded full-court every night. “It’s kind of just made a lot smoother transition, not having to just get thrown right into the fire and have people hound me,” Wagler said. “He’s definitely good to bring pressure off me, and then I can do the same for him. And being able to learn from him and how he reads the ball screens and what he looks for is awesome too.”

Tyronn Lue’s conversations with him have landed in the same place. “We’ve had good conversations kind of just like with DG — just being more of a second action guy,” Wagler said. “For me, just being ready to either catch and shoot or play off of second side, but then also just being more active off the ball — looking to set go screens, cut, do all the little things.”

Go screens he did not run as often at Illinois

At Illinois the offense often ran for him. In Los Angeles he is learning to set the screens that free someone else. “I kind of knew it, but just having to do it more myself,” Wagler said. “At Illinois I didn’t really have to do it as much. It was kind of all for me. But now it’s being able to do it for others, and that’s just something that I’m going to continue to get better at.”

When defenses double Rui Hachimura in the post or blitz Garland off the ball screen, Wagler’s job is the backside shot. “We’ve already had some stuff that we know — if we’re getting doubled in the post, we got cutters and weak side, and he’s a willing passer to pass it out and we’ll get open shots off that,” he said. “And then DG coming off ball screens — they’re going to blitz them. He’s going to get the ball out of his hands quick or drag it out and find someone, and he has great vision. So being on the backside, just got to be ready for shots.”

Boards by committee — for a guard

Lue has framed rebounding as a by-committee problem for a small group. Wagler bought in from the guard spot. “Just being active on the glass offensively and defensively,” he said. “We’re not the biggest team, but if we all can go in there and try to rebound, then we’ll be fine. Usually most guards don’t really come in to find offensive rebounds, so I try to stick my nose in there and get whatever I can and fight for the boards.”

He finished with five rebounds — matching what Lue noted from the early first quarter — and said the team’s biggest preseason jump has been on the other end. “I would say defensively — just our effort, our talk, physicality, rebounding, all of it,” Wagler said. “I feel like we’ve made a big jump, and that’s where we got to continue to grow at.”

First run-out at Intuit Dome

The night still felt new. “It was awesome,” Wagler said of his first game under the Intuit Dome lights. “Even the run out at the beginning was really cool. Just all the fans out were here supporting us. … It was great to see.”

Three exhibitions in, he said the comfort is climbing. “I feel like I’ve gotten better each game, more comfortable,” Wagler said. “Shots doing better each game, and just feeling good out there.” The biggest lesson so far: “Just being ready for each moment. When you get out there, you got to play as hard as you can — offensively and defensively. … You’re not always going to have the ball in your hands, so you got to be able to impact the game in different ways.”

Asked if he feels ready for meaningful basketball next week, he did not hesitate. “I definitely am. I’m excited for it. It’ll be first year — get out there and see what happens.”

Why it matters

Garland and Hachimura already spent Oct. 14 endorsing Wagler’s spacing and home start. Wagler’s own availability filled in the other half: how a high pick learns to be a second-action piece, set go screens he rarely set in college, and crash the glass without the ball. Opening night is next week.