FlurrySports weighs the pros and cons of Mikel Brown Jr., Keaton Wagler and Darius Acuff when looking at possible Los Angeles Clippers draft prospects.
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While the Washington Wizards won the 2026 NBA lottery and came away with the first overall pick in the draft, it might be the Los Angeles Clippers who were the biggest winners. In February, the Clippers and the Indiana Pacers agreed to a trade that included Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown going to Indiana in exchange for Ben Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, a 2029 first-round pick and a conditional 2026 first-round pick. Given Tyrese Haliburton’s injury and Indiana’s inconsistent play, adding that conditional pick didn’t seem like an issue at the time, considering the Pacers were on the path to a top-four pick, meaning that they would have kept it.
Well, things didn’t go exactly the way that Indiana had hoped, as they landed outside of the top four, meaning the Clippers kept the pick. With that pick, Los Angeles now has a chance to add a young star into a somewhat established core of Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland.
In a loaded draft, the Los Angeles Clippers have a chance to add a franchise cornerstone. Given Leonard’s age and his contract, his career as a Clipper beyond this season is unknown, so Los Angeles has a chance to get an instant replacement. With names like Mikel Brown Jr, Keaton Wagler and Darius Acuff expected to be available, the Los Angeles Clippers draft pick is one of the more interesting storylines in this year’s NBA Draft.
Los Angeles Clippers Draft Targets at No. 5 in NBA Draft
*Quick note* Assuming the Los Angeles Clippers want to maximize their time with Kawhi Leonard, this appears to be a great spot to trade out of to collect future picks and veterans to put along the San Diego State alum. For this exercise, we are working under the assumption that the Los Angeles Clippers draft pick is made by them.
Mikel Brown Jr. – Louisville – Freshman
In a draft full of great guards, there might not be a better shot maker than Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. While with the Cardinals, Brown showed off his incredible pull-up jump shot, taking defenders off the dribble and hitting threes from well beyond the arc. On top of his shot making, Brown excelled at blowing past defenders and finishing with both hands at the rim. In terms of polished offensive games, Brown should be in similar conversations with Darius Acuff and AJ Dybantsa. More than just scoring, Brown finished his freshman season averaging just short of five assists per game. The apex of Brown’s season came when he dropped 45 points in Louisville’s 118-77 domination over North Carolina State. While Darius Garland will work as the Clippers’ lead guard, Brown’s ability to play isolation ball will greatly improve Los Angeles’ 24th-ranked offense from this past season.
The biggest knock against Brown is that he only played in 21 out of Louisville’s 35 games this past season. For a majority of the season, Brown dealt with a nagging lower back injury, but it is reported that he completed his rehab and will be ready to go for whoever drafts him. For scouting purposes, his missing time with the injury brings into question his consistency with scoring the ball. We know that on any given night Brown can get a bucket whenever he wants, but is he able to do so three times a week?
As I stated before, if the Los Angeles Clippers draft Brown, he would likely slot in as an off-the-ball guard, as Darius Garland and Kris Dunn have proven to be solid lead guards in the NBA. His scoring will be an instant boost to the offense, and with Kawhi Leonard, Dunn and Brook Lopez next to him, he can spend his rookie season developing his defensive game.
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Keaton Wagler – Illinois – Freshman
There was not a player who upped his draft stock more this past college basketball season than Keaton Wagler. He went from a little-known high school recruit to a Second-Team All-American, leading Illinois to its sixth Final Four appearance. Much of Illinois’ success can be attributed to Wagler’s big-time shot-making and control of the offense as a whole. As a combo guard, Wagler has a great IQ and feel for the game, using his 6-6 frame to see and shoot over smaller defenders. Where Wagler found much of his success this season was as the ball handler in pick-and-roll situations, something that I could see working with John Collins and even Derrick Jones in Los Angeles. When watching Wagler at Illinois, the number one thing that jumps off of the screen is his ability to control the offense and not do more than what he is capable of.
At some point in his NBA career, Wagler will have to bulk up. He weighs in at 188 pounds. Adding that bulk will help him work off of the dribble and allow him to get his spots, given his lack of elite burst and elite speed. Adding that bulk will also help him finish at the rim, something that was a small issue for Wagler while at Illinois. As is the case with all college prospects, including freshmen, developing his defensive game will be key to getting regular minutes early in his rookie season.
As far as the fit with the Los Angeles Clippers, it makes sense. He has the offensive game to help take some of the load off of Kawhi Leonard’s shoulders. He certainly has the skill set to be the quarterback of Los Angeles’ bench unit, but as Kevin O’Connor reported, the Los Angeles Clippers are not head over heels in love with Wagler. While that could be a smoke screen, it appears the Clippers may be more inclined to go a different direction than Wagler.
Darius Acuff Jr. – Arkansas – Freshman
In a class with AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cam Boozer, it says something that Darius Acuff was college basketball’s most exciting player last season. Acuff led John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks to the Sweet 16 as a four seed, before bowing out to a really good Arizona team. Arkansas’ best season in years came on the back of Acuff’s 23.5 points per game. When looking at who the most NBA-ready scorers are in the 2026 NBA Draft, you would be hard-pressed to find a better prospect than Acuff. At Arkansas, he looked like a 10-year NBA vet, as he made shots from all over the court and controlled the Razorbacks’ offense. He has elite on-ball skills and did an incredible job of limiting turnovers (2.2 turnovers per game). More than just scoring though, Acuff’s ball handling is also at the top of prospect lists. He is slippery, explosive and electric. I could talk about how awesome Acuff is on offense all day, but I think you get the point.
While Acuff has an elite offensive skillset, the same cannot be said about his defensive skillset. When matched up with the elite guards of the SEC, like Labaron Philon and Tyler Tanner, Arkansas saw a major disadvantage as those guys could and would take over the game. Calipari couldn’t take Acuff off of the court, though, because of how good he was on offense. I guess that best defense is a great offense? When he is in the NBA, veteran guards will hunt Acuff on defense, as his 6-3, 190-lb frame is not going to help much on defense.
Once Kawhi Leonard’s tenure is over in Los Angeles, the Clippers are going to need to find their next player to build around. Acuff might be that player. He is slippery, explosive and electric, something that the Clippers have not had since a young Blake Griffin. In a vacuum, Acuff is the best offensive player in this draft, but will his lack of skills on defense be too much, leading the Los Angeles Clippers draft strategy to look elsewhere? Maybe, but as I stated with Brown, the Clippers do have solid defenders on the roster now that can help shield him.
Predicting the Los Angeles Clippers Draft Selection
I have been stubborn in thinking that out of the three players I discussed, Keaton Wagler is the most ready NBA player for the Los Angeles Clippers to draft. The recent news of the Clippers not being fully in on Wagler is not a great sign, though, for the Illinois alum finding a home in Los Angeles. That makes me think that given the Clippers’ push to make a deep run in the playoffs while Kawhi Leonard is still on the team, they will opt for Brown. He fits best with the current makeup of Los Angeles’ roster. Brown has the strongest three-point shooting ability out of the three players listed, something that the Clippers are desperately looking for, considering they made just north of 12 of them a game, good for 21st in the NBA this past season.
To be completely honest, any of the three players that I broke down will help the Clippers in not only the short run, but also the long run overall. Whatever they do, they need to be sure of it, as over the past 15 years, the Clippers have been a playoff team, but have never put together a roster good enough to challenge the big dogs in the league. With there being a shift from veterans to young talent in the NBA right now, if the Clippers can get early production from their rookie, there is an opening to steal a deep playoff run before any dynasty forms.
