Detroit Pistons: Drafting a franchise cornerstone
While some pieces are in place, Detroit was still woefully bad this past season. They need a home-grown star to build a potential superteam around. Boston had Pierce. Miami had Wade. The Spurs had a host of their own picks. The Lakers had Kobe.
If the Pistons draft Cade Cunningham, he will spend a season or two as the number one option, developing into a star. Young stars draw more stars, and Detroit has treated their players very well. Blake Griffin was bought out per his request, and Derrick Rose was reunited with Tom Thibodeau in New York. Players have no reason to not play for Troy Weaver, and gaining another asset in the draft won’t hurt.
Having a young core of Bey, Stewart, Hayes, and a presumptive star in Cunningham is a great way to gain some attention. Add in Jerami Grant, who will be making friends this summer, and Detroit should become a destination.
Keep Killian Hayes as the starting point guard
Star players like to score. Saddiq Bey is a great shooter, Grant can hit shots from anywhere, Isaiah Stewart can score down low and in the post, and Cade Cunningham has shown he can score over anyone. Add in a proven superstar, and someone needs to make sure everyone is happy.
Killian Hayes is not a scoring threat, and he may never blossom into one. That’s okay because Detroit needs a pass-first guard who makes sure everyone gets touches at the right time. A true distributor is an asset, and honing Hayes into a defensive pest and a smooth-passing guard will only entice big-time scorers to join the roster.
My ideal statline for Killian Hayes is 8 points, 12 assists, two steals, and as few turnovers as possible. I don’t even care if he never develops an outside shot, as long as he can drive and kick to an open man. With Grant, Bey, Cade, and Stewart, the Pistons should enter the 2021-22 season with very good floor spacing, so Hayes could break out as one of the better young distributors in the league.
Killian Hayes had only slightly worse assist numbers than LaMelo Ball, 5.3 compared to 6.1 per game, and his assist percentage (30% to 34%) was also only slightly worse. Hayes also played on a worse shooting team. The Pistons had the 26th best true shooting percentage compared to Charlotte’s 19th best.
If Hayes is surrounded by talent, he will make a positive name for himself. Bey and Stewart are only going to get better, and Hayes didn’t play much with Grant last season. Hayes certainly won’t be the best player on the roster, but he could be a major draw for potential free agents.