INGLEWOOD — Clippers rookie Keaton Wagler is less than two weeks into his first NBA training camp, a span filled with lessons and mistakes. And fun.
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“It’s been a lot of fun getting to work super hard, be around the teammates,” Wagler said after the team’s second practice back in L.A. after they spent their first week of camp in Honolulu.
“Everyone’s wanting to get better. Just keep getting better each day has kind of been our goal one day at a time and just getting ready for our next preseason game coming up and we’re excited for it, looking to get another opportunity.”
Wagler, who the Clippers drafted with the No. 5 pick in June, is expected to get another shot at showcasing his burgeoning talent when the team travels to Vancouver for its second preseason game against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday in the NBA Canada Games.
In his Clippers debut on Sunday in Hawaii, Wagler struggled with his shot, going 3 for 15 from the field and 1 for 11 from 3-point range in the team’s first preseason game. It was a rough start to an anticipated beginning.
But opportunity arrived in the latter stages of the game against the Golden State Warriors and Wagler took it. With 14 seconds left and the Clippers down by one point, Wagler took a step back and buried a 19-foot shot for a 102-101 lead, bringing the bench to its feet in celebration.
Cam Christie closed out the game with a pair of free throws for a 104-101 victory.
For Wagler, the shot was something of an affirmation that he was on the right, but sometimes rocky, path.
“The (advice) from my teammates is just keep being aggressive and just doing what I do out there, making plays, being strong with the ball, taking care of it, finding open players, getting open shots basically,” Wagler said.
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As the season progresses, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue is expected to have Wagler run the offense. That’s a big ask for a rookie who is trying to find his footing.
“He’s very smart, very bright and he picks things up quickly,” Lue said. “Everything we give him, he comes back the next day, he understands it, he does it and he actually executes it.
“I don’t think giving him a lot is too much because he picks up everything, he understands it. And then we come out here the next day and go over it again, he knows exactly where he’s supposed to be, exactly how to execute it and that’s half the battle of being cerebral, being a smart player. That’s what he is.”
Wagler said he is getting more comfortable in his role with the team both on offense and defense.
“I think as I get these next preseason games under my belt, I’ll be a lot more comfortable, but I think just playing in these games is just going to get it there,” Wagler said. “But I feel comfortable out there with the ball, without the ball, everything.”
Darius Garland, who was the first teammate to raise his arms in jubilation when Wagler hit the go-ahead basket, is in awe of Wagler’s poise at 19 years old.
“Coming in as a 19-year-old, just learning everything on the fly,” Garland said. “We’re going to have a lot of reps for him, so he’s going to learn a lot with his play instead of us just teaching him so much.
“I think that’s going to work out better for us, just him just having all the reps and just us believing in him as much as possible.”
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CLIPPERS VS. TORONTO RAPTORS
When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. PT
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, B.C.
How to watch: NBA League Pass