We are days away from the NBA Draft, where all eyes will be on the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
This will be one of the biggest drafts to date, as college basketball’s best and brightest will learn their fates in the NBA’s summer spectacle. But one name that has been on everyone’s mind, including fans in Champaign, has been that of Illini superstar guard Keaton Wagler.
Advertisement
Wagler, a product of Shawnee, Kansas, burst onto the scene with the Illini during the 2025-26 season after being one of the most under-recruited players in the country. The 6-foot-6 guard was absolutely electric, leading Illinois to the Final Four while averaging 17.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Wagler is expected to be a top 10 pick on Tuesday night, with some mock drafts having him drop to either pick No. 7 or No. 8. But regardless of where he ends up, the freshman phenom has certainly remained confident throughout the entire process, as seen in his latest interview on ESPN.
There was no lack of confidence for Wagler during his nationally televised interview this past Tuesday, replying to a question about what he learned at Illinois with, “from the smallest stages to the biggest stages, I can compete with anyone.”
Advertisement
The No. 1 player from Kansas in the class of 2025 also put his dunking abilities into perspective for the audience, saying that he definitely can dunk, but “two points is two points,” and he’d rather get the easy lay-in than possibly miss a dunk.
Keaton Wagler has an elite player’s mindset heading into the NBA Draft that teams near the top should be thrilled about
During the 2025-26 season, we saw how elite Wagler can be in tough situations. Whether it was his 23 points at home against Michigan or his 46 points in Lafayette against the Boilermakers, Wagler blossomed before our eyes and became a major cog in Illinois’ wheel.
Wagler has all of the talent in the world, and proved that he can be the face of a program in a very short amount of time. But in this interview with SportsCenter, he continued to show that he has an elite mental mindset as well.
Advertisement
Whether it’s the confidence that was oozing out of him or the way he put the pathetic rumors about his dunking ability to rest, Wagler delivered a perfect and polished TV segment that can make any NBA general manager smile.
Regardless of who drafts this young man on June 23, Wagler is going to prove that he belongs at the next level. He is a talent that can change a franchise for the better, and fans need to recognize that before it’s too late.
This article was originally published on www.writingillini.com as Keaton Wagler oozed confidence in pre-NBA Draft national TV interview.
