Minnesota Timberwolves: What each 2020 draft night addition brings to the Wolves
By Kayne Rob
Minnesota Timberwolves 2020 Draft Day Addition: Ashton Hagans
Ashton Hagans signed to a two-way contract
Ashton Hagans was signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves as an undrafted free agent upon the conclusion of the 2020 NBA Draft.
Hagans signed a two-way deal with the Timberwolves and will spend time with the Timberwolves and the Iowa Wolves. Hagans played two years at the University of Kentucky. As a freshman, Hagans earned the co-SEC Defensive Player of the Year award.
Hagans also made the SEC All-Defensive Team as a Sophomore, although he struggled mightily on both ends of the floor toward the end of his Wildcats career.
2020 Per-Game Stats
- Games Played: 30
- Points: 11.5
- Field goal percentage: 40.4
- 3-point percentage: 25.8
- Rebounds: 3.9
- Assists: 6.4
Short-Term Outlook
Don’t expect much in the way of floor time with the parent club, but Hagans could carve out a role if there are injury issues, similar to the chance that Jordan McLaughlin got last year.
Expect great defensive contributions at the G League level from the jump, but if the scoring can be consistent then we may see some flurries of minutes on the NBA roster here and there. The best way for him to obtain any sort of minutes in this first season will be on the defensive side of the ball and being scrappy in practice.
Long-Term Outlook
Hagans has the drive and work ethic to carve out a real role, similar to what we saw with two-way signee McLaughlin and undrafted rookie Naz Reid last year.
Hagans could develop into a decent bench guard if he continues to progress on the offensive end of the floor, but also isn’t a major hit to the team if he does not find success. Hence, the two-way deal.
2021 Expectations
Expect Hagans to get a lot of time with the Iowa Wolves, and we can plan to hear reports out of practice that Hagans pushes the team on the defensive end.
Defense will be his calling card to find minutes at the NBA level, whether it’s this year or in the future. Yet with key players on the team with real weaknesses on that side of the floor, signs of life from Hagans in that area could be beneficial even for the rotational guys to be practicing against consistently.
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Overall, this was an eventful draft night for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and they came away with an intriguing group of talent. It will be fun to see how this year shakes out.