Killian Hayes of the Detroit Pistons retaliated against Moritz Wagner after being pushed into his own bench, punching the Magic forward in the back of the head.
It appeared that Wagner briefly lost consciousness, so who says Killian Hayes can’t use his right hand? I joke, but Hayes probably should have walked away, easier said than done in the heat of the moment after a guy delivers a dangerous cheap shot from behind.
It wasn’t nice to see Hayes ejected, but it was nice to see this team show some life, especially after an embarrassing loss to the Clippers in which they had an epic collapse down the stretch.
The punch will earn Hayes some credit with Pistons’ fans, but it will also earn him a suspension and it’s possible the league is going to drop the hammer on Killian Hayes, but how long will he be out?
Detroit Pistons: How long will Killian Hayes be suspended?
Losing Killian Hayes for any number of games is not great for him or the Detroit Pistons, as the team loses its starting point guard and Hayes loses more chances at valuable developmental time.
But how much time is he going to lose?
Nikola Jokic received a one game suspension from the league for his retaliatory shove of Markieff Morris, which I would argue was worse than what Killian Hayes did, but I am not sure the league will see it that way, especially since Killian is not the MVP.
Teammate Isaiah Stewart got a two-game suspension for his attempted altercation with LeBron James, which was also retaliation for a cheap shot. Beef Stew didn’t even put his hands on LeBron, so this one was for his refusal to stop trying to go at him long after the incident.
Like both of the incidents above, there was context to Hayes’ punch, as he was reacting to Wagner pushing him into the bench at full speed, a play that could have caused a nasty injury. You can’t blame Hayes for being upset, but I’m sure the league is going to make it clear that throwing punches won’t be tolerated.
If I had to guess, I’d say Killian Hayes will get a three-game vacation for slumping Wagner, which is unfortunate for him and the team. Let’s just hope it isn’t more.