New Orleans Pelicans: 3 targets who could fall to end of 2020 NBA Draft

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LEXINGTON, KY – FEBRUARY 04: Ashton Hagans #0 of the Kentucky Wildcats brings the ball up court during the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Rupp Arena on February 4, 2020 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Ashton Hagans, Guard, University of Kentucky

Playing two seasons as a member of John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats, Ashton Hagans is an interesting young point guard who will likely be available to the Pelicans with at least one of their selections in the second round.

It’s unfortunate for Hagans that he wasn’t able to play in the NCAA Tournament, because I’d imagine the guard would’ve gained ground on some draft boards with any big performances.

During his sophomore season with the Wildcats, Hagans posted 11.5 points, 6.4 assists, 1.9 steals, but shot a miserable 25.8% from three-point range.

Hagans could develop a fine jumper with refinement, as his 81% free-throw rate as a player who generated 4.7 trips to the stripe per game, but it’ll certainly be a big red flag for NBA teams.

In the NBA, he’s likely to take a back seat, at least initially, as he’ll be more likely to fit a team’s board as a developmental piece as opposed to an instant impact candidate; it might even value the guard to spend a season getting opportunities in the G-League.

Frank Jackson is fine, but ultimately unenthralling option off of the New Orleans Pelicans bench as their backup to Lonzo Ball, but he’s a restricted free agent this offseason and is far from a guaranteed piece of the organization’s future.

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Drafting Hagans gives the Pelicans an opportunity to experiment with an alternate style of point guard to Jackson, who often slows the team’s offense to a halt as a leading ball handler.

Even if he struggles with his shot and initially struggles as a defensive player in the NBA, the combination of energy and offensive creativity provided by Hagans would give the team a better system player behind Lonzo Ball.

There were too many instances last season, especially when Zion Williamson was in the lineup, that the Pelicans’ starters took a big enough lead to rest during the fourth quarter, only for the bench to lose sight of the task at hand and let a team surge back into the game.

Hagans helps keep the team playing Alvin Gentry’s brand of basketball, a high-paced game with plenty of ball movement (that’s what you get from being an assistant for Steve Kerr‘s Golden State Warriors and Mike D’Antoni‘s Phoenix Suns).