Who is the best NBA comparison to Illinois basketball star Keaton Wagler?

PEORIA — Illinois head coach Brad Underwood compares his rising freshman star, Keaton Wagler, to NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Wagler has the basketball world’s attention, especially in NBA circles, where mock drafts are now routinely slotting him as a top six pick.

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas says Wagler’s NBA comp might be Tyrese Haliburton.

The Illini 6-foot-6 slithery combo guard is one of two freshmen averaging at least 17 points, five rebounds and four assists this season, and is fifth in scoring in Big Ten play with 20.8 points per game.

On Tuesday, he was named to the John R. Wooden Award late midseason top 20 watch list.

Jan 24, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) looks at his teammate during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

Bilas recently made an assessment of how Wagler projects to the NBA during a viral social media video.

“When you look back at a player like Tyrese Haliburton at Iowa State, there are some similarities there,” Bilas said in the video. “Maybe not the highest regarded, but nobody cares where you’re ranked. It’s going to be a great story later on, but nobody’s going to care because when you can play, you can play. And Keaton Wagler can play.”

Bilas broke down the qualities he sees in Wagler, who was recruited by Underwood after he was urged to look at him by his son, assistant coach Tyler Underwood.

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Bilas praises several tools that Wagler possesses in high caliber, but says perhaps his best skill his an elite basketball IQ.

“Keaton Wagler, he’s going to be an outstanding NBA player whenever he decides to move on to that level,” Bilas said. “He got an extraordinary feel for the game of basketball. It’s not that you can say this is the one skill that sets him apart. He’s multi-skilled, and his best skill might be his basketball IQ and his processing of the game at speed.”

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/best-nba-comparison-illinois-basketball-101603976.html

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Publish date : 2026-02-12 10:16:00

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