Detroit Pistons: Setting expectations for Killian Hayes in 2020-2021

Detroit Pistons fans have high expectations for their rookie point guard this season.

To the surprise of many, the Detroit Pistons were actually able to land Killian Hayes in the NBA Draft. It wasn’t a shock that he was available, but many had assumed they’d go a different route. Finally, the fans get to see the player they’ve wanted for months.

There hasn’t been much holding back in terms of what people are expecting from Hayes. He’s currently sitting on the fifth best odds (+700) to win the 2020-2021 Rookie of the Year.

Quotes we’ve been hearing from various players and even Dwane Casey and Troy Weaver haven’t helped much either. As we begin to hear more about Hayes’ performances in individual workouts and even team scrimmages, the noise only grows louder.

Wayne Ellington: "Killian was making veteran plays. I saw him make two beautiful lob passes to Mason already. Seeing that shows me his poise and his advanced skillset as a young player."
— Offseason O (@omarisankofa) December 6, 2020

Casey had also mentioned that Hayes picked up 3 or 4 blocks during a scrimmage, which could either be an (incredible) anomaly or an indication of where his rookie season will go.

His up-tempo style of play tells us that Detroit may pick up the pace a bit this season. Even if they don’t, He’s a tremendous passing and scoring threat in a half-court setting.

Casey also mentioned that as it stands, Hayes will be the Pistons starting point guard as we inch closer to the season tipping off. Something that we had predicted may happen, and doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

From everything we’ve heard so far, it sounds like he’s going to hit the ground running. The current over/under on his points average this season is 8.5, and 3.5 on assists. If fans want him to be in the Rookie of the Year conversation, he’ll need to be well over on both figures.

As Hayes ventures into his rookie journey, fans can expect to see a fair share of mistakes. But with Derrick Rose coming off the bench, he’s learning from one of the best to ever play the position.

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Defensively it’ll be interesting to see how his matches up against a position that’s constantly growing, both in size and ability. Luckily, Hayes’ frame and sheer quickness should allow him to competitively defend anyone thrown his way.

What’s going to be interesting is seeing how he adapts to the preparation side of the NBA. One of the bigger knocks on him coming into the draft was his inability to use his off hand. Teams do their homework, and if he too often favors his left, he’ll be relegated into a passing only role.

We’ve been told on several occasions that he’s put in the work to become equally efficient with both hands, but time will tell. It’s safe to assume that from what we’ve heard, he means it.

It’s been mentioned dozens of times how Detroit has a unique blend of talent. Whether it comes from a veteran or one of the younger players, there’s some good news for Hayes: He has scoring options that he can rely on.

The Pistons have some strong pick and roll option in Mason Plumlee, Blake Griffin, and Isaiah Stewart just to name a few. Whether it’s one of the aforementioned threats, a dribble hand-off with Blake along the wing, a pick-and-pop with Sekou Doumbouya, Hayes has options.

This will give him a bit of an easier time adjusting to the pace of the league. Detroit isn’t asking him to be their number one scoring option on day one, and the truth is that day will likely never come.

He’s here to orchestrate the offense. He’s here to help facilitate what has too often been a clunky and ineffective offense. In previous seasons, if the offensive continuity wasn’t coming from Griffin, it wasn’t happening at all.

If these media availability quotes are telling us anything, it’s that Hayes is ready. There are going to be some bumps along the way, but he’s ready to contribute on day one.