5 guards the Minnesota Timberwolves should target in the 2020 NBA Draft

Nico Mannion | 6-foot-3 PG | Age 18, Freshman  | Arizona Wildcats

NBA Player Comparisons: Bigger Shabazz Napier, Goran Dragic minus length

Primary skills: Precision passing, operating in traffic, mid-range scoring, shooting form, shotmaking, pick-and-roll playmaking, vision, feel, basketball IQ

Weaknesses: Lack of high-level athleticism, length, lateral quickness

Nico Mannion plays like someone much older than just 18 years old. The Siena, Italy native was a highly touted incoming freshman for Sean Miller at Arizona (PrepHoops.com had him as a five-star, ranked No. 13 nationally) and he has lived up to the hype.

Mannion has averaged 14.1 points, 5.8 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 2.5 turnovers per game on 42.3/34.8/85.7 shooting splits (field goal/3-point/free throw percentages). He has also turned in a +15.3 net rating and a solid 4.4 free throw attempts per game as a freshman.

What I love most about Nico’s game is his comfortability operating in pick-and-roll-based sets. Since fellow freshman (and Lakeville, Minnesota native) Zeke Nnaji, who could also be a first-round pick, is not a threat from deep, the Red Mamba often sees very high hedges and and ice coverage when he handles the ball in these sets.

As a result, he has less room to work with, but a great opportunity to showcase his creativity in traffic. He can make laser passes in tight spaces over, beneath, and around defenders of all sizes and has excellent touch on his passes into the post, on lobs to bigs, and getting the ball to wings in their shooting pockets beyond the arc.

Once he turns the corner after getting hedged, Mannion is terrific in the mid-range, with pull-ups and jump-stopping in order to read the defense and find open teammates. When he is not hedged, he cashes in on bigs who play drop coverage in the pick-and-roll by shooting floaters over them, or attracting them to him in the mid-range and hitting bigs on the opposite block.

As the late, great Stuart Scott would say, he’s as cool as the other side of the pillow. Mannion loves the big moment and is unfazed by playing in hostile environments or in high-stakes games. He has a high basketball IQ to go along with very advanced feel for the game for someone that is just 18.

Mannion’s only real weaknesses are his lack of premier athletic traits. His wingspan is just 6-foot-3 and will struggle to stay in front of athletic point guards in the NBA as a result of his below average lateral quickness. But with his smarts and instincts, he has a good chance of being a solid team system defender.

Nico reminds me a lot of a bigger Shabazz Napier because of his how he controls the flow of the game, makes smart plays in the pick-and-roll game, is creative on offense, and can make shots from all the floor.

Dragic is another pro comp because of how he uses a change of pace to find success in the pick-and-roll, which is something Mannion has increasingly turned to in conference play. Neither Dragic or Nico are quick enough to jet around hedges, but they use creative playmaking, dribbling, and advanced vision to beat defenses in the half-court.

Mannion has a higher floor than most other prospects in this class, but with his limited athleticism, his ceiling is lower than some of the other guards in this list.