What is Kentucky getting in 5-star DJ Wagner, son of Dajuan Wagner?
DJ Wagner, the son of Dajuan Wagner, is the No. 6 player in the 2023 On3 Consensus. The five-star became Kentucky’s fifth commitment in the 2023 class, solidifying their top spot in the 2023 On3 Team Rankings.
Wagner averaged 18.8 points, and 4.2 assists per game in 18 Nike EYBL Circuit games this summer with the NJ Scholars program.
Let’s take a look at what Big Blue Nation is getting in DJ Wagner.
Wagner’s backstory
DJ Wagner attends Camden (NJ) High. The school where his father, Dajuan Wagner, was named a McDonald’s All-American and broke the New Jersey career scoring record with 3,462 points. It is also the same school where Wagner’s grandfather, Milt Wagner, was named a McDonald’s All-American.
Wagner is the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 19.6 points, 3.3 assists, and 3.1 steals per game last season. The year prior, the five-star was named the MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year. According to NJ.com, Wagner has scored 1,477 career points in 75 high school games.
Wagner’s background
Toughness is the main takeaway you have after a full viewing of DJ Wagner. It is an intangible that does not show up on any stat sheet or advanced analytics but is readily apparent to anyone who is watching.
And while the 6-foot-1 guard may not have a set position, he competes. This is one of the winning traits Wagner possesses and something you see bleed over onto both sides of the ball. Wagner has been a known player since middle school. Each time the guard has taken the floor, he is getting the opposition’s best shot, with the spotlight squarely on him.
Sold-out crowds, celebrities, and a host of media attention are nothing new for Wagner. He won a 2022 Group 2 state championship as well as a gold medal this summer with the USA Basketball Men’s u17 National Team.
Wagner’s game
USA Basketball lists DJ Wagner at 6-foot-1. He is a strong-framed, compact guard. Aggressive would be a good word to use when describing his game. Wagner is aggressive in getting downhill off the bounce, and he is also aggressive when defending the point of attack.
Wagner has a quick first step. He has a confident handle with an array of right to left, left to right hesitation moves in the half-court. The five-star is a preferred straight-line driver. He has balance when attacking the basket; he needs to continue to tighten and develop his counters off the bounce, but he uses a euro-step or lateral step to avoid defenders who cut off his path in the paint.
Wagner lacks burst around the rim, which can cause him to get into trouble when attacking the basket with a true rim protector. However, he does have great balance and a fairly robust lay-up package that allows him to utilize different spins on the ball and score from different angles at the rim. On Nike’s EYBL Circuit this summer, Wagner shot 59.1 percent at the rim. He scored 1.231 points per possession on these shots, which Synergy says he took 46.2 percent of his possessions.
The jumper
The majority (46.5 percent) of DJ Wagner’s shot attempts this summer came from the jump shot. Wagner did not fair as well, making only 28.1 percent of his 148 jump-shot attempts.
Wagner has a confident stroke, but the balance can get off track at times, as can his release. This summer, he was at his best shooting off the bounce, which he shot 45.3 percent of the time. In shooting dribble jumpers, Synergy says Wagner was 32.3 percent on 67 attempts. And on 80 catch-and-shoot attempts, he shot 23.8 percent.
In the seven games Wagner played for the USA Basketball u17 team this summer, he shot 19 percent (4-21) from three and 47.8 percent (22-46) from two. He got to the free-throw line nine times and 87.5 percent of the attempts. Wagner also shot 71.2 percent from the free-throw line on 3.3 attempts per game during EYBL play.
There is upside here.
Kentucky’s class
Wagner’s commitment solidifies Kentucky with the No. 1 class in the On3 2023 Team Rankings.
Five-star C Aaron Bradshaw
Height/Weight: 7-1/210
High School: Camden (NJ) High
2023 On3 Consensus: No. 3
Five-star SF Justin Edwards
Height/Weight: 6-7/185
High School: Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep Charter
2023 On3 Consensus: No. 5
Five-star SG DJ Wagner
Height/Weight: 6-2/185
High School: Camden (NJ) High
2023 On3 Consensus: No. 6
Five-star CG Robert Dillingham
Height/Weight: 6-2/165
High School: Atlanta (GA) Overtime Elite
2023 On3 Consensus: No. 8
Four-star G Reed Sheppard
Height/Weight: 6-2/170
High School: London (KY) North Laurel High
2023 On3 Consensus: No. 31