Struggling for his first years in the league, Killian Hayes, however, retains the confidence of some reputable observers. A great figure of the 80s was thus very complimentary towards the young Frenchman, during an interview with the daily the team…and the person in question has influence at the Pistons.
Drafted in the Top 10 in 2020, expectations were logically quite high around Killian Hayes. Unfortunately, it could be that they were a bit too much, since the leader has been struggling a bit since his arrival. 7 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and an average interception in nearly a hundred games: it’s not dishonorable, but it’s far from folichon either. Having landed in a franchise like Detroit that is looking for itself does not help it to develop, it is true.
Inevitably, we can therefore worry about the nugget from France, since everything is going very quickly in the NBA and he thus risks quickly losing his place. Fortunately for him, he has the right to the support of none other than Isiah Thomas, the best player in the history of the Michigan franchise. The former leader had addressed his case a few weeks ago, during an interview with the daily the team. According to him, 2022-23 should be synonymous with great progress for the player who spent time in Germany:
Isiah Thomas confident in the future of Killian Hayes
Like most young players, he needs time to grow in the NBA. His first two seasons taught him a lot, he played well at the end of last season with Cade Cunningham. I think his third season will be better. I hope he will continue to grow and participate in the success of the Pistons. I have already spoken with him and I continue to tell him “slowly but surely”, to continue his progress.
Proof that Zeke is closely monitoring the young Habs, he has also clearly identified areas for improvement for the latter:
His defensive performance and his passing game are his two best assets at the moment. The third thing is his shooting. Once he scores more and has more confidence in his ability to put his shots, Killian will be a complete player.
The Hall of Famer seems to sincerely believe in Killian, whose style of play can indeed be seen as complementary to Cunningham, the squad’s boss since his draft last summer. The Frenchy is a distribution and defense-oriented player, while the former first pick from Oklahoma is a born scorer. The doublet could therefore work… but as mentioned earlier, everything is going very quickly in the NBA and since the release of Thomas, MoTown has made a drastic decision.
Indeed, the leaders have chosen to select Jaden Ivey in the last draft, which also evolves on the back lines. The scouts refer to it as an improved version of Russell Westbrook in particular, being very complete in the offensive game while already having a decent shoot. Faced with this, Hayes will find it difficult to fight for a starting spot, especially since he still lacks consistency in scoring. Detroit being in reconstruction, it could be fatal.
It won’t be easy for Killian Hayes at the Pistons, but he can at least count on the support of Isiah Thomas who believes in him a lot. Let’s just hope that Zeke is right and that 2022-23 is the year of the explosion for the Frenchman.