Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes’ ceiling may be Ben Simmons and that’s ok
Detroit Pistons: Could Killian Hayes make All-Defense one day?
We’re in the part of the offseason where “leaked” videos of Ben Simmons draining 3’s in an empty gym make their way around Twitter, with half the crowd believing this means he can shoot now and the other half making jokes about how he’ll never be able to.
What gets lost in this narrative is that Ben Simmons is one of the best, if not the best, defensive player in the NBA and he is 25-years-old.
Related Story. How Kelly Olynyk will help Cunningham and Hayes develop. light
While I don’t know if Killian Hayes will ever get to that level, he has a chance to be an elite defender who can make an impact without scoring.
He has the size, strength, footwork and hands to defend 1-3 on the perimeter and has shown he can stay in front of even the quickest guards, as he does here against Jalen Green.
This is some defense from Killian Hayes vs. Jalen Green. Good activity and pressure. Think we know what Green can do vs. space, how he handles pressure/activity/reads is interesting to me. Turbo button doesn't always work, have to set these plays up. pic.twitter.com/8sgDBIwMRJ
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) August 11, 2021
Could Killian Hayes lead the league in steals some day? I wouldn’t rule it out. But even if he doesn’t, he has the chance to be a very good defender and anyone who can lock up the other team’s best guards has a lot of value even if he doesn’t shoot 3-point shots.
Speaking of 3-point shots…