Good concept for a YouTube series but the guy making the videos is an idiot and doesn’t think critically. Just laughable to say playing another year in HS over starting at PG for an Elite 8 team would be better for a players growth. Then saying going to UK stunted his growth because of having to share a backcourt with other NBA caliber players was truly idiotic for several reasons. 1. Ashton was given the reigns at PG for 2 seasons here. He didn’t get recruited over and no one played over him. He had to earn the job his Freshman year, but he beat out a Soph (which resulted in him transferring). 2. Everyone has to share a back court. Sure you can pull an Anthony Edwards, Ben Simmons, Cade Cunningham move and it’s worked great for those guys, and it may be the move for the best of the best, but it’s obviously not the only way. UK players aren’t going to get all the shots, but they’re ready for a role in the league almost instantly to fill a starting role and be effective within the team construct. Jalen Suggs did the same thing going to a stacked Gonzaga roster. Doesn’t look like it’s stunting his growth. 3. Quick and Maxey probably would’ve loved to run point but it didn’t hurt either of their developments. They both have looked like steals from the latest draft. We all saw how much Quickley developed from his frosh to Soph year too.
I could’ve made a much shorter video and explained why Ashton Hagans growth was stunted. Obviously several things come into play, but the main reason was Ashton himself. He clearly has maturity issues. But there’s another huge reason too. The NBA is home to the 450 BEST players in the WORLD. It doesn’t mean you’re a bum if you don’t make it and it doesn’t mean you’re a failure. There’s tons of ridiculously good basketball players who don’t play in the NBA. If you’re a guard, there’s only around 150 spots. So it’s not an insult to say “Ashton Hagans isn’t one of the best 150 guards in the world”. Because obviously the dude can hoop. The thing with Hagans though is he got an opportunity as an UDFA and he blew it, not by his play but because of off court decision making. If he would’ve been cut by the T-Wolves before next season because of new picks and prospects coming in, that just happens all the time and a guy like that may or may not find another opportunity in the league. That’s just the way it goes, there’s 200 new prospects vying for a job, along with 200 guys who didn’t quite make it last season. They’re competing to take the jobs of the bottom third of league who isn’t at all safe from season to season. So it’s 500-600 guys competing for the bottom 150 spots in the league every year. Now Ashton will be 1 of 500, but with a mark on his off court reputation. And it was all his own doing. So you are the GM...are you taking the fringe prospect PG fresh out of college with a glowing rep, or are you taking 2nd year Ashton Hagans who was cut by one organization for breaking league rules? Quite simply, as a UDFA you have basically have no room for error, and there’s probably not a second chance if you burn through an opportunity.
