Detroit Pistons: Predicting Killan Hayes’ stats for next season

Killian Hayes had to miss most of his rookie season for the Detroit Pistons, so we only saw flashes of what he can be.

But with a full offseason and Summer League to work on his body and game, I fully expect Killian Hayes to make huge leap in his second season.

Hayes has already been labeled a bust, which is just silly, as he is still a teenager learning the most difficult position in the NBA.

He didn’t have as good a season as fellow rookie point guards LaMelo Ball or Tyrese Haliburton, but there is still reason to believe that Hayes can be just as good, if not better.

Killian Hayes averaged 6.8 points, 5.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds and a steal per game, numbers that look pretty good until you see the shooting splits.

Hayes shot just 35 percent from the field overall and just 27 percent from behind the 3-point line, so we know what he needs to work on in the offseason.

So what might those numbers look like next season?

Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes can average a double-double next season

We know that Hayes is going to spend the summer working on his shooting. He not only needs to shoot more but needs to work on his balance when he does. He is often shooting off one foot or looking to pass first, something that defenses know.

But the Detroit Pistons don’t necessarily need him to be an elite scorer, at least not right away, as his primary skills this early in his career are passing and defense.

But he averaged nearly seven points a game while barely shooting, so if he just ticks up his shooting numbers to more like 12 attempts per game instead of seven, he should be able to average double figures in scoring even without a big improvement in accuracy.

When it comes to assists, I see no reason why Killian Hayes can’t average nearly 10 assists per game as soon as next season. The passing is there already, and Hayes was getting 5.3 assists per game without the benefit of being surrounded by shooters.

Hayes averaged 10.5 potential assists per game this season, tops on the team, and those are going to start turning into buckets as the Detroit Pistons improve.

I predict that Killian Hayes will average just under a double-double per game, scoring 11 points and adding 8.5 assists. I also think his steal totals will be closer to two than one. I think he’ll still struggle shooting but will be over 40 percent and will take more shots.

If Killian Hayes can average nearly a double-double next season while playing smothering perimeter defense, he will be well on his way to being the player the Detroit Pistons thought he could be when they drafted him seventh.