D.J. Wagner Trusting his Instincts and Teammates to Elevate his Play

Vicky Graff Photo

Kentucky basketball has so many great storylines right now.

— Antonio Reeves is averaging nearly 20 points per game and is one of the best players in the SEC.

— Zvonimir Ivisic is trending nationally after his dramatic debut against Georgia.

— Fan favorite Reed Sheppard is on pace to become the most accurate 3-point shooter in UK history and adds to his legacy almost every game.

However, there should be more buzz for what freshman guard D.J. Wagner — the No. 1 recruit in this class for a long while before his status faded late last season — has been doing.

In the last six games, he’s averaging 14.5 points and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 55.6 percent from the field overall and 42 percent from 3. He’s also made only 1.8 turnovers per game in those six games.

He had his first double-double with 18 points and 10 assists against Georgia Saturday and will be running UK’s offense tonight at South Carolina.

His play has not created a big buzz after he went 1-for-12 from the field in a loss to Kansas in his first marquee game at Kentucky. He also had just two points in the win at Louisville.

In SEC play, he’s been dynamic as he has been in double figures in four of five games. He also had 18 points at Texas A&M in  UK’s only league loss.

“My teammates and my coaches have helped me, but most of the time it is just instinct from playing the game of basketball so much. You know when it’s there and when it’s not and you know not to attack,” Wagner said after the Georgia game.

He’s learned to trust his talented teammates more and more which has led to easier passes and fewer risky decisions that had led to turnovers earlier in the season.

“It makes the game a lot easier because the defense has to pick their poison,” Wagner said. “Everybody on the team can dribble, pass and shoot so everybody who is attacking can make the layup and you can pass it out and they could make the three.

“It makes it a lot easier for all us and having so many skilled guys on our team makes the game more fun for us as well.”

He never made excuses after spraining his ankle earlier this season and missing the UNC-Wilmington game when the Cats lost in Rupp Arena.

“An injury like that is just something you have to make sure you stay on top of and just take care of,” Wagner said. “It hasn’t slowed me down a lot, but I’ve been getting a lot of treatment on it, just making sure it stays healthy.”

He was named Southeastern Conference’s Freshman of the Week Monday after averaging 12.5 points and 6.0 assists per game in wins over Mississippi State and Georgia.

Wagner has helped UK average 91 points per game, the nation’s best mark. The Cats have scored 90 or more points in four straight SEC games for the first time since 1994.

Wagner is averaging 12.8 points, 3.8 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game this season.