Killian Hayes was the 7th pick of the 2020 NBA Draft for the Detroit Pistons and also chose the number seven for his jersey.
As soon as I saw this my immediate thought was “Oh no.”
The number seven has not been a lucky one in recent years for the Detroit Pistons, as every guy who has worn it gave fans high hopes before ultimately disappointing.
I’m not one to believe in superstitious nonsense until it comes to sports, and then I am knocking on wood, wearing my lucky hat, socks and praying to Blaha that things go right.
So rub or tap or knock on whatever you can that Killian Hayes doesn’t follow the path of recent 7’s and breaks the curse.
Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes and the unlucky 7’s
Brandon Knight
Brandon Knight’s career started out great for the Pistons, as he had a solid rookie season and even made the All-Rookie team.
It was pretty much all downhill from there, as Knight was part of one of the worst decisions the Pistons ever made, the trade that brought Brandon Jennings to the Pistons in exchange for Knight and Khris Middleton
Knight went on to have a better career than Jennings on his own, but then add that Middleton ended up becoming an All-Star for the Bucks and it’s hard to say that this #7 was anything but a disaster for the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit Pistons: Unlucky 7 No. 2
Brandon Jennings
The Detroit Pistons had back-to-back unlucky #7’s when they traded Brandon Knight and Khris Middleton for Brandon Jennings.
Jennings ranks among the most overrated Pistons of all time, as fans tend to only remember his flashy passing and big scoring games and not that his career with the Pistons was a disaster.
Jennings did have some big games for the Pistons, but he was also wildly inconsistent and inefficient, scoring 30 one game and then going 1-for-12 in the next.
Ultimately his career was a big “what if” for the Pistons, as he was derailed by injury and never came back the same guy. It’s too bad, as Jennings was fun to watch and was part of that magical win streak that came just after the Pistons traded Josh Smith.
You have to wonder what might have happened if Jennings had not injured his Achilles. He claims he would have been an All-Star and who knows, he might be right.
But we will never know, as his career was doubly cursed, as he not only got injured but the guys the Pistons traded for him flourished.
Detroit Pistons: Unlucky 7 No. 3
Stanley Johnson
Pistons’ fans had more terrible takes about Stanley Johnson than just about any player they’ve ever drafted.
Johnson came out of Arizona and absolutely looked the part of the physical and athletic wing that has taken over the NBA. He was a guy who was supposed to be able to defend anyone, create his own shot off the bounce and knock down 3-point shots.
None of those things happened, as Johnson was a pretty good defender but never had any type of offensive game. In fact, his shot was so bad that he couldn’t stay on the court most nights, as it was like playing four on five with him on the court.
He did show some promise in his rookie season then promptly got way worse, going from a guy we thought could “guard LeBron” to a guy they had to trade away for nothing.
Johnson never lived up to the hype and became another in a string of cursed #7’s to play for the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit Pistons: Unlucky 7 No. 4
Thon Maker
Thon Maker was yet another #7 who looked the part but definitely didn’t play it, as he was another high-ceiling bust for the Pistons.
Luckily the Pistons didn’t draft Maker, instead they shipped Johnson out for him, trading one bust for another.
Both hoped to find more success on other teams but it never happened, especially for Maker, who won Pistons’ fans over (somewhat) with his effort but made us roll our eyes at the results.
The perfect description of Maker came from my wife who said “Who is that tall guy? He looks like he should be good but he’s just flailing around.”
That pretty much describes Thon Maker’s game.
Killian Hayes is hoping that he can break this streak, as the number seven has been nothing but bad luck for the Detroit Pistons of late.
Is he going to be the next high-ceiling flop wearing the #7 for the Pistons? Let’s hope not.