An unheralded recruit, Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler had played so well in the early part of the season for the No. 9 Illini that some were asking whether he might be a top-10 pick by the time NBA Draft day rolls around.

After Saturday, that is no longer a question. Wagler waltzed into then-No. 4 Purdue’s gym and hung 46 points on the Boilermakers in Illinois’ 88-82 win, while looking the entire time like somebody who was waiting in line at the DMV. The 6-foot-6 guard calmly made 9-of-11 3-pointers — nearly all of them off the dribble — while expressionlessly incinerating whatever pick-and-roll coverage the Boilermakers threw at him.

(Quick side note: While many of you will look at his last name and want to say it “WAAAAAG-ler” in the harshest Chicago accent possible, it is in fact pronounced “WAHG-ler,” rhyming with “log” or “Franz Wagner,” and definitely not rhyming with “tongue-waggler.”)

The most impressive part, however, might have been the final five minutes, when the Boilermakers finally grew weary of Wagler cooking them and began putting two on the ball against all his pick-and-rolls. Wagler, who didn’t take a single bad shot the entire game, calmly found teammates and set up four straight wide-open 3s as Illinois scored 14 points on its final five possessions before Purdue began fouling. He then finished off the Boilermakers with a kill-shot floater and made two game-icing free throws.

Off the dribble, Wagler generates tremendous space with his crossovers and side steps, and has exquisite footwork getting into his shot. He repeatedly roasted Purdue’s bigs on stepbacks like this one:

When he does go downhill, Wagler looks very upright on the ball, so you’d think ball security would be an issue. But his turnover rate is low (he had only three on Saturday), and he can get to his spots in the paint. He uses the threat of a stepback 3 to set up drives into the paint and then slashes to the cup, especially when he can get bigs on an island and use the threat of his deep shooting ability to draw them well out of their comfort zone:

The patience on the dimes stood out. Wagler already had 41 points when he made this crosscourt kickout pass late in the shot clock with Illinois trailing; nobody would have batted an eyelash if he had forced a wild shot here instead, but he wouldn’t do it:

(Shot-clock violation police: ignore the scorebug. The shooter released it with 0.1 on the shot clock above the backboard.)

While Wagler’s passing is more functional than spectacular at this point, the simple willingness to make the correct play over and over again stands out. He’s averaging three assists for every turnover as a freshman in an elite conference, and on a team that has played a relatively difficult nonconference slate, as well. (Early-season college stats can be misleading because power schools sometimes schedule several tune-up games against Shambolic State; however, Illinois has already played powerhouses like Texas Tech, Alabama, UConn, and Tennessee out of conference).

Are there questions? Sure. Wagler has a thin frame and could get pushed around at the next level, especially on defense. He’s a B athlete, and his rate of event creation on that end (1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks per 100) is shockingly low for an elite prospect, including only two “stocks” (steals plus blocks) in his last seven games. His foul rate is also on the high side for a guard.

Additionally, Wagler’s 52.5 percent shooting on 2s is unremarkable, and with his shooting form, getting to pull-ups off the dribble could be a challenge.

On the other hand, Wagler has rebounded at a plus level despite his thin frame (10.2 percent, although he oddly had zero against Purdue), and he’s drawn fouls at a high rate despite shooting more 3s than 2s.

Overall, he shapes up as another gem in an increasingly promising draft class, giving off whiffs of Tyrese Haliburton as a potentially elite offensive weapon. Wagler can function as a deep shooter (43.5 percent from 3 on high volume, and 82.6 percent from the line) who is as comfortable lunching off the bounce as off the catch, and one who can make defenses pay for aggressively crowding his shot.

It’s unfathomable that he entered the year as his class’s 261st-ranked recruit, but he sure as heck isn’t finishing it there. After Saturday’s eruption, there can be no doubt: Wagler is a surefire 2026 lottery pick.