Film Room: DJ Wagner

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One of the most discussed recruitments of the Coach Calipari era is finally over. DJ Wagner is officially a Kentucky Wildcat. Despite the Louisville Cardinals hiring Wagner’s grandfather, Milt Wagner, the bond between father Dejuan Wagner and Coach Cal won out. Rated as the #1 combo guard, and #6 prospect overall in the On3 consensus, the 6’3″ playmaker joins a loaded Kentucky recruiting class.

4-star guard Reed Sheppard, 5-star guard Robert Dillingham, 5-star wing Justin Edwards, and 5-star center Aaron Bradshaw have already pledged to the Wildcats in one of the best recruiting classes Big Blue Nation has seen. On paper, this is a historic haul for a program that is used to sitting atop the recruiting rankings.

So, what does Wagner’s commitment mean for the Kentucky Basketball program? Much will be made of the off-court significance. Coach Calipari has his swagger back on the recruiting trail. Also, it is a big head-to-head win over rival Louisville. However, most important, Wagner is one of the best players in the country and can be an instant impact contributor in the ‘Cats backcourt.

Physical Driver

There aren’t a lot of high school seniors who are truly physically ready for SEC basketball. DJ Wagner has the size and strength to play right away against the best teams in the country. He absorbs contact well on the perimeter while maintaining his handle and plays off of two feet around the basket. His playmaking skills are obvious, but it is the way that he can bounce off of the defense on his way to the rim that will help ease his transition to the college level. Let’s take a look at some clips.

Kentucky fans are already seeing this season the benefit to having multiple ball handlers and playmakers on the floor. DJ Wagner will certainly step into that sort of role from day one as a freshman. He has a tight handle, the shiftiness to create some separation, and the strength to finish through contact at the basket. Wagner has consistently shown high-level finishing ability playing against top competition on the EYBL circuit.

A lot of top high school prospects develop a bad habit of being one-foot finishers. They grow up so athletically gifted that they can get away with it. However, in college, that doesn’t work as well. DJ Wagner has shown his ability to finish off of two feet and it is why he is so effective around the basket. He doesn’t possess elite straight line quickness or off-the-charts leaping ability so going up strong has been what has made him such a good finisher. Wagner is an equally good finisher with either hand.

College basketball, especially in the Southeastern Conference, is a physical game. DJ Wagner has the necessary tools to compete with some of the grown men he will face in their fourth and fifth seasons of playing in college. Again, Wagner doesn’t necessarily possess elite athletic gifts. However, his skill level, strength, and change of pace more than make up for what he may lack in pure explosiveness.

Pure Shooting Ability

DJ Wagner has a beautiful shooting stroke. He has an excellent release point, doesn’t get his off-hand overly involved, stays stacked from his lower body through his shoulders, and has perfect rotation on the follow through. Whether he is shooting off the dribble or from the catch he has proven to be a very good three-point shooter. Anytime you have a playmaking guard who can create their own shot from beyond the arc it really helps your team be more potent offensively. Wagner’s ability to play on or off of the ball, and score in either role, will make him very valuable to Kentucky early in his career.

The next step in Kentucky’s quest to expand their offense and take more three-pointers is to have point guards and forwards who can shoot. These are the positions you need to create mismatches and get more attempts from beyond the arc. With Robert Dillingham, and now DJ Wagner, coming in the ‘Cats will have shooting at the point guard spot in spades. Both guards can really create for themselves and will make a lot of tough shots during their careers in Lexington.

Opposing defenses will not be able to go underneath ballscreens set for Wagner. He has proven to be able to consistently rise up behind the ballscreen and knock in perimeter shots. Forcing defenses to go over the the top will allow him to penetrate more frequently and therefore open things up offensively for everyone else on the floor.

Seeing your new commit makes shots off of actions that you see Kentucky run in games is very encouraging. Coach Cal has used this guard-on-guard “ghost” screen a few times this season for Antonio Reeves and CJ Fredrick. Here, you see DJ Wagner rise and fire off of the action. This sort of shot is directly transferrable to the college level.

The DJ Wagner/Aaron Bradshaw Connection

Most college programs never have the opportunity to land a 5-star prospect. Even fewer can bring in two. Kentucky has now landed four 5-star commitments in the Class of 2023 and two of them hail from Camden, New Jersey. Getting two high school and AAU teammates as good as DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw is really special. Kentucky fans have already been able to see these two work together on the hardwood. That connection will certainly pay off when they put on the blue and white as well.

Wagner is an elite scorer, but he has flashed unselfish decision-making while playing alongside high level talent. He obviously is comfortable in ballscreen situations with his longtime teammate Aaron Bradshaw. These two prospects are going to be special playing together in Lexington. Wagner displays good timing and pace when looking for Bradshaw on the roll.

Coach Calipari seems more willing to run ballscreen and handoff offense this season so far. That likely won’t change with the talent he has coming in from the Class of 2023. In this clip you can see Aaron Bradshaw sneak along the baseline as Wagner penetrates off of the wing ballscreen. Wagner has excellent court vision and will make everyone around him better as a Wildcat.