Never settle: Killian Hayes is ready to take on a bigger role for Detroit / News - Basketnews.com

Drafted in 2020 with the 7th pick overall, French/American point guard Killian Hayes struggled a lot in his first two seasons in the NBA. Now, in his third year in the league, he is finally starting to show his real value.

Credit: Getty Images via AFP/Scanpix Credit Getty Images via AFP/Scanpix

Troy Weaver became the Detroit Pistons general manager in the summer of 2020 after spending multiple years with the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that was going through an intense rebuild.

Free throws this season

78%21,0Points made:21,0Accuracy:77,5%Place in standings:1Record max:34Record min:11Most made FTs:Bojan BogdanovicTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

His goal from the very first moment was clear: leading the Pistons to a new era, focusing on the development of young players, and prioritizing the NBA Draft.

The very first move Weaver made was drafting French/American point guard Killian Hayes with the 7th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Killian, the son of former player DeRon Hayes, grew up in France due to his father's career. DeRon spent most of his European career playing in France and made his professional debut with Cholet in the French top division when he was only 16 years old.

For the 2019-20 season, Hayes moved to German side Ratiopharm Ulm to compete in the EuroCup. That season was interrupted due to Covid for several months, and Hayes went to the USA and didn't rejoin the team when the BBL resumed.

Despite these difficulties, the French point guard put up some impressive numbers, finishing the season with 11.6 points, 5.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game.

His performances in Germany helped him to cement his position as one of the top international prospects in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Hayes' first season in the NBA was challenging. The young point guard struggled to adjust to the NBA speed and was forced to miss more than two months of action due to a hip injury.

Even in his second season as a Piston, Hayes couldn't fully convince the fans, alternating between some good performances and many decidedly less brilliant ones.

Now, in his third season in the league, Hayes looks like a player who's finally turning a corner in his career.

Detroit Pistons / Schedule

Philadelphia 76ers Detroit Pistons113-93 Atlanta Hawks Detroit Pistons130-105 Detroit Pistons Los Angeles Clippers131-142 Detroit Pistons Orlando MagicThu00:00 Chicago Bulls Detroit PistonsSat01:00 Minnesota Timberwolves Detroit PistonsSun01:00 Portland Trail Blazers Detroit PistonsTue03:00

Everything that didn't work out in the first two seasons starts to make sense in the third one. So far, Hayes averages 9.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game -- all career highs for the point guard.

When we look at the last 10 games, Hayes numbers are even better, with an average of 12.4 points, 7.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. Most importantly, the Pistons 21-year-old guard looks more confident with his outside shooting.

One of the main issues for Hayes in the first two seasons in the NBA was the 3-point shooting. His numbers weren't good, and his opponents basically mainly were leaving him open because of his poor precision from outside.

The former Ratiopharm Ulm player is shooting 33% from deep this season, which is already a big improvement compared to the last season, in which he shot only 26% from 3-point.

Credit Reuters - Scanpix

Since Pistons' star Cade Cunningham went down with an injury, Hayes has become the team's starting point guard and looks much more confident than before. Hayes has made a noticeable increase in effort on the court.

Specifically, he is getting into offensive sets more quickly, continuously probing the defense with his dribble while also being willing to take shots when he sees an opportunity. He also shows a good balance of court vision and aggression. The improvement has been clear.

Of course, that doesn't mean that Hayes has now become an NBA superstar. He still has many things to learn before he can become an established player in the league. Still, the things he has shown in the past few months have reassured many Detroit Pistons fans who were starting to worry that their team wasted a lottery pick.

The young French point guard will have the keys of the team for the rest of the season, as Cunningham is expected to have season-ending surgery. That gives Hayes a lot of confidence.

Pistons head coach Dwane Casey has a lot of trust in Hayes, and he's willing to ride with him.

"We need a point guard who can be a quarterback on the field. We don't have many one-on-one players, so we need a director who will organize the offense and make sure everyone touches the ball," the Piston head coach recently said to the reporters.

"He is our best playmaker, our best point guard, and our best defender against opposing point guards. And that is what we need from him," Casey added.

With his size, Hayes presents an interesting defensive option for the Pistons. The player is starting to understand better how to use his body against the opposing guards (Hayes stands at 6'5 or 1 meter and 96 centimeters), and he's always quick on the passing lanes, collecting steals and easy buckets in transition.

As reported by The Athletic, Hayes worked a lot during the offseason to improve his shooting stroke. His release point is now higher, and he also worked on his footwork, which was considered one of the main issues with his shooting motion.

"He used to take these little steps before his shot which caused him to open up too much or made his release slower," Hayes' trainer Shawn Faust told The Athletic. "We didn't want him to continue to take these little steps leading into his shot that would throw his body out of whack."

Over the summer, Hayes would shoot 1000 shots a day so that his new shooting mechanic would become more fluent and instinctive.

Results, so far, are paying off.

"You got to trust in your work, and that's what I did," Hayes recently said. "Shots have started to fall. That's the work I've put in, never giving up. I never settled for what I had. I just kept going."

In year 3 of his NBA career, Killian Hayes finally starts to settle in. He's becoming a much more consistent player, and his passing skills have been on display this season, finding his teammates in basically every offensive situation.

Hayes is still only 21. That's why the Detroit Pistons want to keep believing in him and his progress. The French national team will also be happy with his improvement, especially if he maintains this level of performance for the rest of the season.

Coach Vincent Collet needs new options in the backcourt, and Hayes' growth can only be a positive development for him and his coaching staff.

After two very difficult seasons, Hayes looks ready to prove his doubters wrong, continuing his steady development process and becoming more of a factor for his team.

Subscribe to BN+ and get access to exclusive content.