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

Killian Hayes | 6-foot-6 PG | Age 18, International | ratiopharm Ulm

NBA Player Comparison: Pass-first D’Angelo Russell

Primary skills:  Pick-and-roll playmaking, passing accuracy, vision, ball-handling, size, on-ball and off-ball defense, shooting off the dribble

Weaknesses: Turnovers, perimeter shooting consistency, free-throw rate, rebounding

Killian Hayes, not Anthony Edwards or Cole Anthony, will be the best guard to come out of this draft class. Got it? Don’t believe me? Hopefully you will a year from now, when he’s making Wolves fans swoon over how well he fits in the Ryan Saunders/Pablo Prigioni offensive system.

Hayes is having by fair his best season as a pro, playing for German team ratiopharm Ulm in the EuroCup league. He is averaging 12.8 points, 6.2 assists, 2.3 rebounds 1.5 steals, and 3.3 turnovers per game on 45.4/90.9/39.0 shooting splits on 4.1 3s attempted per game.

He has improved in every statistical category this year compared to last year, with the exception of turnovers, which has gone up from 1.7 to 3.3. However, Hayes has a much larger role as a playmaker this year, which has led to the jump.

What immediately jumps out at me about Killian’s game is his playmaking in the pick-and-roll. It is absolutely incredible. He is very comfortable making every type of pass, from pocket passes to lobs, cross court lasers, and everything in between. The American-born point guard is probably the most advanced passer I have seen at his age in the draft since Ricky Rubio – including Trae Young – and even then, it is really close.

In addition to his passing out of the screen-and-roll, he has vastly improved his shooting out of these actions, especially in the mid-range and when he rejects screens.

Hayes has added a very fluid, quick southpaw step-back, both from deep and from the top of the key. Like Russell, he likes to get downhill after turning the corner around a screen, and then put the brakes on and create space with a nasty step-back move that consistently gets him plenty of space to shoot. Killian also loves to use this move when he rejects screens, which is becoming a more popular read in the modern NBA, which is chock-full of high ball screens.

While the Frenchman has struggled with shooting consistency over the course of his career, he has improved each year and has a pure stroke that will perfectly translate to the next level.

Defensively, Hayes has all the tools to be a great defender. He is quick laterally, has a 6-foot-9 wingspan, and would pair very well with Jarrett Culver in the Wolves backcourt. He is averaging 2.0 steals per 36 minutes, and will benefit from having better defenders behind him in the NBA so he can be more aggressive both on the ball and off the ball. He has solid anticipation skills and can improve them after gaining more experience playing up the line denying elite shooters in the NBA.

Unfortunately, Hayes is a bit turnover prone because of how confident he is in his own passing ability. He has a tendency to try and really thread the needle instead of making the safe pass, but with more time playing professionally and a better understanding of reading defenses, the game will slow down for him (even though it is already pretty slowed down for him) and he will cut out turnovers.

Two other things I would love to see Hayes improve upon are his rebounding numbers (just 2.3 per game for a 6-foot-6 guard is pretty weak) and his free throw rate. He is averaging just 3.0 free throw attempts per 36 minutes. Per Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, Killian has been ultra-consistent from the line.

Since he is so effective from the line, he needs to be more aggressive in taking the ball to the rim instead of always looking to pass first. He is a very consistent finisher with his left hand, but could definitely stand to improve his finishing with his off-hand hand.

If Hayes can make these improvements early on in his NBA career, he could be a franchise cornerstone for the Wolves. From Day One, he could deliver the ball to Towns anywhere on the court, get Wiggins looks from his hot zones, space the floor, and elevate the play of everyone else on the floor.

If I had the No. 1 pick in the draft, I would do my best to trade back to No. 2 or 3, just so I could take Killian Hayes. That is how confident I am that this guy will be a bonafide star in the NBA.

Here’s to hoping that he lasts long enough for Gersson Rosas to bring him to Minnesota.