Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes is growing before our eyes

The Detroit Pistons drafted Killian Hayes seventh in last month’s draft hoping he could be a franchise cornerstone. He’s on the right track so far.

The Detroit Pistons had a no-brainer decision on their hands when their pick came up in last month’s NBA draft. With the seventh pick, they quickly drafted Killian Hayes from German pro club ratiopharm Ulm and counted themselves lucky to get one of the top guys on their board.

Hayes has been touted as one of the best prospects in this draft class (a weak class, mind you), and getting him at seven was a solid result. While the 19 year old has plenty of work in front of him to reach his full potential, the pieces are there for a legitimate NBA standout player, maybe even a star.

In April, The Ringer’s draft expert Kevin O’Connor had him as his top prospect and broke down how his game could mirror a lite James Harden, or perhaps Manu Ginobili. The young man has many steps ahead before we can start talking about these comps with any kind of realistic perspective, but you can see the elements if you squint just hard enough.

Right now, he isn’t James Harden or Manu Ginobili, he’s Killian Hayes. And that’s more than enough, in fact it’s what the Detroit Pistons drafted him to be. He’s gotten off to a rough start, but you can almost see the game slowing down for him each time out as he learns the ropes.

In the Pistons’ season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he looked out of his depth. It’s not unexpected considering the draft itself was barely more than a month earlier, this rookie class didn’t get any offseason to get to know their new teammates, summer league in order to get a grasp on how the game works at the next level and didn’t even get a full preseason or training camp to get acclimated.

It was a trial by fire for Killian Hayes.

He turned the ball over four times, only shot the ball six times and scored seven points in his debut. In his second game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, he cut the turnovers to just two. He only scored three points on 1-of-7 from the floor, but his passes were crisp and his decision-making looked markedly improved on both ends of the floor.

On Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks, things came together in a more cohesive fashion than ever before. His defensive doggedness helped force two steals, including the one above on Trae Young.

He also displayed more of that outstanding passing vision that led to his draft stock soaring so high, racking up eight assists including this no-look dish to a resurgent Josh Jackson:

Hayes still has a clear preference for his left hand, eschewing drives to his right whenever possible. Sometimes when defenses take away his options on the right, he’ll pass out prematurely or end up taking a stepback 3-pointer:

The stepback is a work in progress for Hayes, but it could end up being a lethal weapon as defenses start to believe in his offensive talents and play him closer. He’s becoming more comfortable with that stepback as each game goes by, and that’s going to be half the battle with him.

He’s never faced a challenge like he has on his hands now. NBA defenses are a cut above anything he’s accustomed to, but he’s a talented young man. Killian Hayes has the physical tools and the top-level basketball IQ required to put it all together for the Detroit Pistons, and he’s off to a solid start on that path.