An In-Depth Look On How Killian Hayes Can Revive His Career

It’s safe to say that Killian Hayes has had a rough 2024. From being waived by the worst team in basketball, the Detroit Pistons, and not earning a spot on the French National team, Hayes has seen better days.

High Expectations

The seventh overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft had high expectations. Playing for Ratiopharm Ulm in the EuroCup, he averaged 12.9 points and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 39% from beyond the arc. Being a two-way six-foot-five point guard who could distribute the ball well, the sky seemed to be the limit for Hayes.

What Went Wrong?

Hayes immediately struggled adapting to the NBA, as he only averaged 6.8 points per game shooting 27.8% from deep as a rookie in 2020-21. Things didn’t get better for Hayes down the line as he continued his shooting struggles and even had the lowest true shooting percentage in the 2022-23 NBA season at 45.5%.

Following that season, the Pistons turned their focus more to their number one pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Cade Cunningham. As the 2023-24 season progressed, Hayes started to get less minutes. Hayes ended up falling out of the rotation, and then getting waived by Detroit.

Brooklyn Nets Give Hayes an Opportunity

As the Brooklyn Nets are beginning their rebuild, Sean Marks decided to give Hayes a shot. Signing the former lottery pick to a one-year deal, the Nets are seeing if they can develop Hayes’ game and help him reach his potential.

With the objective of the Nets team being the development of their young players, this is a perfect landing spot for Hayes. Playing behind veteran point guard Dennis Schröder will be optimal for his growth. Rather than competing for a starting spot with Cunningham in Detroit, he can slowly develop his game behind Schröder.

What Does Hayes Need to Do?

While Hayes’ statistics don’t look very promising, with only a few changes, he can revive his career. As Hayes is a tall and shifty guard, his strength lies in attacking inside the arc. Hayes has a habit of forcing up tough three-point shots, despite only shooting 27.7% from deep on his career. He also tends to shoot a relatively high volume of fadeaway mid-range jumpers, despite only shooting 31.8% on them.

However, the Frenchman has shown his ability to knock down shots, shooting 44.4% on pull-up shots in the mid-range area. Hayes has found the most success on the right side of the mid-range area, shooting above league average from multiple spots. If Hayes can learn to simplify his game and get to his spots, rather than forcing up tough shots, his efficiency will drastically increase, and he can become a winning factor for his new team.

Limiting Turnovers

Hayes has the potential to be an elite playmaker with his crafty dribbling skills and great passing, but his turnovers are holding him back. In his rookie season, he struggled to effectively make plays for his teammates as he recorded 83 turnovers on just 138 assists.

As the young point guard’s career is progressing, he is showing flashes of turning that narrative around. In the 2022-23 NBA season he recorded a career high 470 assists to go along with his 173 turnovers. This past season, he had a career-low in turnovers with 51, and complemented that with 205 assists. Playing behind a seasoned veteran in Schröder, Hayes can develop his efficiency as a point guard.

Using His Weak Hand

Hayes has the ability to finish tough shots at the rim, but his game won’t be complete until he develops his right hand. While Hayes is excellent at finishing shots with his left hand, he tends to avoid using his right hand, even on the right side of the rim. Not being able to finish with both hands as a guard will limit his ability to finish at the rim efficiently. Once he can effectively finish on both sides of the rim with both hands, this will open up his entire game because defenders will have to guard him differently.