DETROIT -- With the Detroit Pistons looking to make a leap next season, they’ve tasked their players with doing the offseason work that will help them get there. One of those players is young guard, Killian Hayes, who seemed to find a rhythm toward the end of the year.
Hayes averaged 8.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists made 42.3 percent of his shots from the field in the 20 games post-All-Star break. In the last 10, he averaged 11.3 points and showed more confidence attacking the basket making 46.6 percent of his attempt from the floor.
“I just really followed my instincts,” he said. “I think that, like ‘don’t care’ mentality about either missing shot or making a mistake. Really just following my instincts and playing with confidence.”
On top of that, Hayes took another step forward defensively. He continued to pester opponents as an on-ball defender and has continued to help force extra scoring opportunities for the Pistons. Roughly 19.4 percent of his points came off turnovers, while he along with Cade Cunningham and Hamidou Diallo led the team in steals averaging 1.2 per game.
The 20-year-old played 66 games this season and has now put away a season’s worth of games under his belt. He played just 26 games in his rookie season after a hip injury sidelined him for much of the year. So now the second-year guard has been able to truly settle into the NBA.
“Just playing like an entire season, just healthy without any injuries, just focus on mentally knowing that my hip is healed,” Hayes said. “Also, like I felt great during the season like I was in great shape the whole time. So it was good. It’s was a good feeling just having one full season under my belt thing.”
Now, head coach Dwane Casey and Troy Weaver have tasked him with carrying that confidence into the offseason in order to make the next leap. During Tuesday media availability, the two highlighted that Hayes has adjusted to the NBA style of play, which has bolstered the swagger the Frenchman has begun to play with.
Casey broke it down even further and said that Hayes has had to adjust to playing hard in order to keep his spot on the court.
“He’s never had to go to that and that’s not a knock on him,” Casey said. “It’s just something a young man at 18, 19-year-old had to go through. He’s played on club teams in Europe that practice three times a day structured. So he had not had a chance to go out and spread his wings and do some of the things he can do.”
Hayes has spent much of his basketball playing years in the European basketball system which is structured much differently than the youth programs in the United States.
But this year, Hayes let the game come to him and has allowed him to prove what he is capable of. Now though, Casey and the coaching staff want to him to continue leaning into it and find opportunities go up against other NBA players.
“He’s got some stuff to his game that he needs to go and play against other NBA players’ length, size, ‘They don’t give a crap who he is,’” Casey said “You know, they’re going to knock him on his behind and he needs to go through that along with getting in the gym, working on his shooting, in the weight room working on keeping in great condition. So this is a big summer for him to do that and I encourage that 100 percent and I’m sure Troy does too.”
So, Hayes said he’ll focus on just hooping every day to get used to the one-on-one game and adjust to playing without a set play. He’ll also work on his three-point shooting and the other mental aspects of basketball.
“Obviously I’m going to talk to Coach (John) Beilein about footwork,” Hayes said. “He’s really been on to me about it. Really just reps really making sure that every time the ball leaves out of my hands I know it’s going in not having anything like, ‘oh it’s short’ or anything like that. Just building that confidence.”
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