The Los Angeles Clippers are heading into a season unlike the ones they’ve built around in recent years, and the starting five could look very different by the time camp breaks. With Brandon Ingram set to miss the start of the 2026-27 season, the projected opening group features Darius Garland, Max Strus, Derrick Jones Jr., Rui Hachimura and Isaiah Jackson.
That puts a spotlight on Strus, even after Los Angeles brought him in during a five-team offseason trade that sent Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers. On paper, Strus looks like a clean fit. He brings reliable 3-point shooting, and that kind of spacing has real value no matter who else is on the floor.
Still, the rookie everyone in Los Angeles is watching is Keaton Wagler. Drafted fifth overall out of Illinois, Wagler is the long-term swing piece for the franchise and can handle either guard spot. Garland is not moving out of the starting lineup anytime soon, which leaves Strus as the most obvious player who could get squeezed if Wagler flashes early in camp.
Wagler’s game gives the Clippers reasons to dream big. He’s a jumbo guard who can create for others, defend well, and stretch the floor. In his lone college season, he shot 39.7% from deep, which makes him a realistic replacement for at least part of what Strus brings offensively.
There’s also a built-in path for Strus to adapt if the role changes. He has already logged plenty of time coming off the bench, with 160 of his 321 career games played as a reserve and 161 career starts. That kind of split suggests he can slide into a second-unit role without much fuss, and his scoring could be a real boost for a bench group that is thinner than it has been in recent years.
For now, though, the safest read is that Strus opens camp in the starting five. Wagler is likely to begin his career coming off the bench and earn a bigger role only after he proves he’s ready. Once Ingram returns, someone else will have to step aside, with one of Hachimura or Jones the likeliest candidate to lose that spot.
Even with that uncertainty, the Clippers clearly view Wagler as more than a development project. He was drafted to be a star, and the franchise would like to get him into the starting lineup sooner rather than later.
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