The quest to fill out the Minnesota Timberwolves roster is on, and Ashton Hagans is a possible player they may target in the second round.
Ashton Hagans is a pass-first point guard that gives efforts on both ends of the court. His work ethic is high, but his 3-point percentage is low. Hagans is a speedy player that can facilitate an offense.
There are a ton of guards that are going to fall this year, simply due to sheer volume. Other than the players at the top of the draft, Desmond Bane, Tyrell Terry, Grant Riller, Tre Jones, Cassius Winston, Tre Jones, Joel Ayayi, and Markus Howard are all players that could slide down the draft board simply because of how many guards are in this class. Hagans has a case to make for being one of the first in that group to come off of the board.
The first thing that comes to mind when dissecting Hagans’ game is his handle. He keeps the ball close to him and he is an effective dribbler. Hagans seems like he would be a perfect pick and roll guard, at least going to the basket.
Hagans is very, very good at drawing contact when driving to the rim. He averages more made free throws than actual in-game shots. He’s also a great playmaker, with a 36.4 assist percentage.
In the past, I’ve pointed out that there are three main traits that translate seamlessly to the NBA: passing/court vision, defense, and shooting. Hagans has both passing and defense. He is a great, opportunistic on-ball defender that can generate steals for his team. Due to his smaller size, he may not be a very versatile defender though. He should be able to guard most point guards and shooting guards.
The perimeter shooting is a large issue, though. Hagans shot only 26-percent from the 3-point line this past season, which is actually lower than his freshman shooting splits. His FT-percentage is 80-plus percent, though, so we may see his long-range jumper come around eventually. His jumper form is fine, too.
Fit on the Timberwolves
Ashton Hagans was a big part of Kentucky’s success this past year. In the NBA, he may fill a De’Anthony Melton-type role (though more of an on-ball version). The Timberwolves will likely select a guard with one of their three selections and Hagans has upside as a potential rotational player.
As of right now, Hagans looks to be a mid-to-early second-round pick, and the Timberwolves pick at 33 (for now). He would be an excellent pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns and would be a great player to have next to D’Angelo Russell due to his defensive capabilities and playmaking ability.
Hagans is a college guard that has had a ton of experience so far but also is younger due to him reclassifying when coming out of high school. He would be a solid addition to the team, whether it be in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft or through the undrafted free-agent market.