NBA Summer League: Biggest takeaways from Keaton Wagler-Darius Acuff Jr. showdown

Summer League is a time for exploration. Note-taking. Learning. I don't have to belabor the point; our own Steve Jones has already given you the guide to absorb summer hoops in a more holistic manner. 

Within that lens, I was pretty excited to get an in-person look at Clippers-Kings on Thursday night following the much anticipated AJ Dybantsa-Darryn Peterson matchup. As someone who likes to examine the rookie class with fresh eyes, this matchup gave me the opportunity to analyze a pair of lottery point guards in Keaton Wagler (Clippers) and Darius Acuff Jr. (Kings). 

We've already gotten a taste of the Acuff Jr. experience thanks to the California Classic, but this was the earnest debut for Wagler. The final score isn't super important, though I'll note the Kings racked up an impressive 91-85 win; the process is what we're here for.

Let's dig into some observations, shall we? 

Darius Acuff Jr. keeps pressure on defenses

There's a steady aggression from Acuff Jr. (19 points, 7 assists, 2 steals, 1 block) that I respect, even if that comes with some "why did you shoot that one" moments in the film. What I really appreciate is that he almost always looked in control.

There's a suddenness to his attacks that throws off defenders even when they know he's looking to attack. He trots up the floor with confidence, waits for a screen, explodes off the pick, then downshifts to flow into whatever midrange attempt he wants to get to. Pull-ups, side-steps, pivots into turnarounds — there's a versatility here that should bode well moving forward.

Again, there's obviously a decision-making piece to this that he'll have to figure out. There's value in being able to get into different shots; there's more value in knowing when to press those buttons. 

Beyond that, he was able to turn some of the at-the-level looks the Clippers tossed his way into assist opportunities. Between accepting some hedges and getting off the ball, and beating the initial look altogether and getting downhill to further compromise the defense, I was pretty impressed with the floor game — particularly in the first half. 

Two other possessions that I jotted down in my notes:

• (Q1, 4:22) He displayed patience in PnR, showcased a sudden burst on a drive to draw (strong side) help, then tossed an easy one to Jonathan Mogbo for a corner 3.

• (Q2, 4:57) The Clippers tossed out an ICE look — when the on-ball defender positions himself to force the ball-handler away from the screener and down the sideline — that he strung along before dropping a nice pocket pass to Dylan Cardwell for an and-one.

The defense from Acuff Jr. has been much maligned, but it wasn't an awful night from him on that end. I was pleasantly surprised with some of the early ball pressure, sprinkling in a few nice reps against Wagler. 

I will say that I need his controller to stop dying when he's off the ball, though. Wagler's first (and only) made bucket came after Acuff Jr. just … kinda left him after defending a ball screen. 

All in all, though, a quality night from the rook.

Keaton Wagler had a tough debut

The caption qualifies for a head-tilting "you don't saaay?" reaction based on his box score, I get it. If you're picking a guard in the lottery, you don't want the debut to be seven points (1-7 FG), two rebounds and an assist in 23 minutes. Beyond the box score, what popped for me was how tough things looked for him.

The Kings consistently pressured Wagler beyond half-court, making it tough for him — and thus, the Clippers — to get into what they wanted to run. Wagler wasn't dribbling the ball off his foot or anything egregious, but he did struggle to ward off that pressure in a way that opened up advantages. 

Another minor note that I had: while Wagler consistently made the right choice whenever the Kings put two on the ball against him, he occasionally tossed some soft, high-lofting passes that reached their desired destination, but ultimately didn't give his roller much of an advantage by the time it got there. 

Honestly, Emanuel Sharp — the 45th pick of this year's draft who poured in 21 points and four steals off the bench for the Kings — deserves a ton of credit for his defensive work on Wagler. He didn't let him breathe while defending on the ball, and was just as annoying with his physicality and occasional denials while guarding him off the ball. 

The Clippers did attempt to mix in some counters. They had Sean Pedulla (11 points, 2 steals off the bench) bring the ball up to relieve some of the beyond-half-court pressure Wagler was seeing; they attempted to run Wagler off of pindowns and flares to set up some of his touches. Those counters didn't bear consistent fruit. 

It wasn't all bad, though. I thought his defense was mostly fine, including a nice transition defensive rep near the end of the first half that'll certainly be lost in history:

Even as he struggled to ultimately separate, there does appear to be an understanding of how he wants to set up his ball screens. Once he gets more accustomed to the speed (and pressure) he'll have to deal with, it won't surprise me to see him shake free a little easier. That should unlock more of the passing goodness that he has in the bag. Heck, he turned the ball over only once despite the pressure he faced.

A tough night, but certainly not the end of the world.

Other takeaways

• More of a general Summer League thought, but boy does it feel like a bunch of teams are ramping up their pressure so far. It feels like every team I watched on Thursday tossed in some high pick-up points defensively and some variation of at-the-level coverage against ball screens. I wonder how much of this is an "easy install" bit for the sprint that is Summer League, versus the continuation of a trend that's worth monitoring.

• I'm such a fan of how much Dylan Cardwell (15 points, 9 rebounds) cares on the basketball court. There's the obvious motor stuff that shines through on the offensive glass, but the man also yells after everything. Seven fouls is also a funny number to see on a box score, but it's even more proof he's willing to leave it all out there. You have 10 — might as well use 'em!

• What a first-quarter run (9 points, 4 rebounds) and overall performance (15 points, 8 rebounds) from Clippers third-year guard Cam Christie. His drives in particular were pretty fun to watch. It was also cool to see the Kings ramp up their help as the game (and really, the first half) went on to take away those drives.

• I was a pretty big fan of the Kings taking a flier (two-way contract) on Jonathan Mogbo. His motor also runs hot; a willing screener and roller, monster on the offensive glass, and active irritant defensively. He had a quality night (13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block), quietly made better (or at least cooler) by the fact that former teammate Scottie Barnes was sitting courtside loudly rooting for him.

• Another general take: I kinda dig the one-free-throw rule that's being tested during Summer League. It's already a staple of G-League play, and I gotta say, it definitely improves game flow. [invisible ink begins] The fact that I'm typing this after a long night of hoops might also play a factor into why it's growing on me [invisible ink ends].

• Finally, Nick Martinelli (11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists off the bench) jumps on his free throws???