National analysts break down DJ Wagner's game with KSR

Five-star prospect DJ Wagner is a Wildcat, giving Kentucky the No. 1 combo guard in the senior class and the program’s fifth signee to solidify the nation’s top-ranked class in 2023.

What are the Wildcats getting in the New Jersey native and Camden High School standout? KSR spoke with national analysts from four major recruiting services to get a breakdown of Wagner’s game.

The consensus? Kentucky’s backcourt is in good hands next season.

Travis Branham, 247Sports National Basketball Analyst

What jumps out to me most about DJ Wagner is his hyper-competitiveness and the aggressiveness he plays with every single time out on the court. Every single time you go to watch DJ play, you know he’s going to bring 100% effort. He’s great at getting downhill. He’s won at the highest levels throughout high school basketball, winning a gold medal with Team USA as well as winning a high school championship at Camden. He is a guy who will come in and put his foot on the gas pedal, put points on the board. DJ is also a good passer in the open court, developing his playmaking and decision-making is something he will need to improve on, as is his shot-making from three and becoming a more reliable shooter. That’ll improve organically, just by improving his shot selection.

Overall, he’s a hype competitive guard who can impact the game both as a scorer and a playmaker.

Travis Graf, Rivals National Recruiting Analyst

DJ Wagner would best be labeled as a scoring guard. He’s a gritty competitor that can put the ball into the basket in a variety of ways. The five-star guard is at his best getting downhill with a head of steam heading towards the basket, where he touches the paint at a high level. He’s equipped with a trusty floater and can hit that, runners, and pull-up jumpers once he gets into the teeth of the defense. He finishes well at the rim, but not excellent, and doesn’t have much flair once he gets there. Wagner’s shot is streaky and he’s shot very bad at times, namely Peach Jam and FIBA, where he shot a combined 7-of-51 from the outside. However, he should be fine with collegiate structure and more space to operate with. One of the more positive attributes of his game is his ball protection, and hasn’t posted a negative one assist-to-turnover ratio at any point during the spring or summer. When he focuses on facilitating, he can be an absolute floor general at times, but his main calling card is scoring. Defensively, he does a good job of getting into the ball-handlers body and also anticipates passing lanes at a high level. While he needs some muscle, he has a very nice frame to help him transition to the next level.

Max Feldman, MADE Hoops National Grassroots Scouting

At 6-3 with ample length, Wagner is at his best attacking the cup and knifing through the lane. Over the course of the last year or so, Wagner has popped in a big way off the ball. An active mover with advanced footwork and a strong feel for getting to his spots in actions with him designed to get downhill. Wagner has toggled between taking on primary creator duties and a score-first role through a variety of contexts over the last year or so, so syncing the two processes and finding more polish as a handler will be key areas to track and potentially the largest swing skill. Attacking the rim off the catch, you’d be hard-pressed to find many more prolific slashers regardless of class than DJ Wagner. Efficiency shooting the ball has come in waves, Wagner’s struggled to find his groove from deep consistently. High on what Wagner can evolve into as an off-ball scorer, but in order to fully leverage the downhill attack, he’ll need to find some consistency from beyond the arc. 

A competitor with a basketball DNA, versatility to slide on or off the ball and tracking at a high level as a point-of-attack defender long-term. In contrast to many top overall prospects in previous cycles, Wagner might be less of a finished product but given his youth for the class and myriad of indicators, I’d bet on the future Wildcat to land closer to the higher end of potential outcomes long-term.

Jamie Shaw, On3 National Recruiting Analyst

Toughness is the first thing that pops when you watch DJ Wagner. He has an innate mental and physical toughness that drives his success on the court. He has been a big name since middle school. With that reputation also comes lofty expectations. Wagner has always gotten every opponent’s best, with a spotlight firmly on him. 

Wagner attends Camden (NJ) High. It’s the same high school where his dad, DaJuan Wagner, broke the NJ state scoring record with 3,462 career points. It’s also the same high school where grandfather Milt Wagner became a McDonald’s All-American. 

Wagner’s motor is always running hot, on both ends of the floor. Defensively, he wants the opposing team’s best player, and he picks them up full court. Offensively, Wagner plays a fearless game. He lacks top-end explosion and his average length and size can make things tough for him at the rim, but he keeps attacking with a good first step. Wagner has seen every junk defense a team can throw at him, and he adjusts accordingly. The jump shot is streaky, and he will need to further improve in this aspect, but he is a volume scorer. He has better court vision than he is given credit for. Is young for his grade and his competitive fire runs hot.

Wagner averaged 18.8 points, 4.2 assists, and 1.5 steals for the NJ Scholars on Nike’s EYBL Circuit this Summer.

KSR’s take

Wagner is a ferocious competitor with a knack for scoring, using his quick first step to create smooth and crafty finishes around the basket while also setting up shots for himself in the mid-range and from deep. A threat in transition, he lives in attack mode and looks to get downhill for drives and scores while also finding open teammates on the perimeter when defenders collapse. Fundamentally sound with a high basketball IQ, he uses his body well and understands leverage and spacing to create mismatches and easy scoring opportunities. He’s comfortable creating for himself or coming off screens for catch-and-shoot looks — ball-dominant at heart, but can also play off the ball.

Decision-making and shot selection will need to improve at the next level, as he tends to force the issue at times and shoot himself out of cold streaks on occasion. That’s a product of being his team’s go-to scoring and playmaking option both in high school and on the travel circuit, heavily relied on to win games. Weight will be lifted off his shoulders playing alongside other elite guards at Kentucky who are also comfortable creating shots for themselves and carrying the scoring load when necessary. That will allow Wagner to be more selective with his shots and play a more efficient brand of basketball, bringing out his best traits as an elite scorer and winner.

— Jack Pilgrim