Former Piston Killian Hayes has landed a new NBA opportunity with the Kings and the outcome has been, well, not great. Through his first 3 games with the team, Hayes is 2.7 points per game with terrible shooting splits. Even though he's racking up his fair share of assists, Hayes' lack of scoring ability keeps him from being a serviceable NBA player.
Not much has changed since Killian's Detroit days
Hayes was lighting up the G-League earlier in the season; he averaged 22 points and 8 assists per game for the Cleveland Charge. But it's the same old story in the NBA. He can't hit shots consistently enough to makes defenses pay and it makes him an offensive liability. In retrospect, it's crazy he ever got a starting spot over Jaden Ivey, even with the hindsight of Ivey now having been dumped to the Bulls.
But it's even crazier that another team is giving him a shot in 2026. I can understand a tanking team like the Kings signing promising young talent for a potential breakout on a 10-day contract. But Killian Hayes was drafted in 2020. He's been playing in or around the NBA for 6 years now and he's not going to significantly change at this point.
Shockingly, the Kings have actually won 2 of the 3 games that Hayes has played. But Hayes' weaknesses are still obvious and easily exploited whenever he takes the court. Unlike other modern guards who use the threat of shooting to open up their game, Hayes would be best served avoiding outside shots entirely. He's only made 2-of-12 threes since joining the Kings and some of the misses have been really bad.
Hayes was allegedly chosen as a starter for the Pistons a couple seasons ago because of his defense. But he was unable to keep Detroit from being a bottom-tier defense and made plenty of his own mistakes. Likewise, he hasn't been able to elevate the Kings defense much despite their miraculous 2-1 stretch.
Fortunately for Kings fans, I don't think any of them had high hopes for Killian. They haven't been forced to buy into his potential like Pistons fans were after drafting him in the lottery. And presumably there won't be any debates tearing the fanbase apart about whether or not he deserves to be a huge part of the team's future.
In a way, it is sad to see Killian Hayes still struggling in all the same ways. His dismal play in Sacramento is a stark reminder of how dark the Pistons outlook seemed just two years ago. But it's also a reminder to be grateful for the current Pistons roster and how far we've come since waiving Hayes.