Detroit Pistons: 2 areas where Killian Hayes must improve

Killian Hayes entered the NBA on foreign land during a covid riddled season. He was a 19-year-old Frenchman with a throwback point guard skill set. He averaged 6.8 points 5.3 assists 1.0 steals as a rookie. Those assist and steal statistics led the Detroit Pistons. Hayes became the first Pistons’ rookie to accomplish that since Isiah Thomas.

Now in his second year he’s learning the fine line of distributing the basketball and finding his own shots. He’s a facilitator first, but today’s ball handler can’t be one dimensional. His offense could dictate the overall team success this year. If he’s around double figures the Detroit Pistons could be looking at a possible play in scenario.

He doesn’t have to be an elite level scoring threat, just a viable option when defenders help off him.

Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes in catch and shoot situations

With Cade Cunningham he’ll share the duties of facilitating and will play off the ball at times. Hayes will need to assert himself offensively when he’s called upon in this new role.

Hayes shot 27 percent from behind the arc last season. He shot far too many step backs, and off balance three point attempts. To his credit most were when the shot clock was winding down on broken plays. However this year his attempts will come from catch and shoot situations. Hayes shot 24.7 percent in catch and shoot situations last year in a small sample size. He should get more of these attempts this season and obviously has to shoot a higher percentage.

From a defensive standpoint, his man will be used for help side assignments, allowing him to freelance and pick his spots. Whether it’s from the corner or the wing, he needs to let it fly with confidence. Once the shots start falling it will open up all aspects of his game and make his drives more effective.

Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes needs to drive to score

Killian Hayes is a natural point guard, always surveying the floor for the open man. Sometimes this can be to his own disadvantage when it is obvious to the opposition. In pick and roll, attacking the defense out of the pick is mandatory for the ball handler. The NBA game rewards the aggressor in this situation, especially when driving to the basket.

When Hayes comes off picks he needs to attack with force getting downhill. This will at the very least put pressure on the defense and could result in free throw attempts. A young player getting to the line is huge, as It allows the player to settle in to the flow of the game while instilling confidence at the same time. Two keys to any young player’s success.

When Hayes made his mind up to attack good things happened and his floater can be an effective weapon, but he has to take what the defense is giving him. Hayes can’t allow the defender to go under the screen consistently, which means knocking down mid-range jumpers occasionally to keep them honest.

These are skills he will pick up as he gets more reps, but for now, he needs to drive with the intent to score first, take the mid-range jumper when it is there and force defenses to adjust.

Killian Hayes has the tools to be a solid NBA point guard, but until he starts scoring defenses are just going to sag off him and negate his passing.