I Tried to Warn Everyone Killian Hayes Wasn’t Good

Karl Heiser/NBA/February 9, 2024

I Tried to Warn Everyone Killian Hayes Wasn’t Good

Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. Killian Hayes has been waived by the Detroit Pistons. In 42 games, Hayes was averaging 6.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 41.3% from the field, 29.7% from three, and 66% from the free throw line. His negative offensive value made him virtually unplayable. Who could have seen this coming? Me. I did.

Killian Hayes was selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. In my live draft grades from the 2020 NBA Draft, I gave the Hayes pick a D-, specifically questioning the logic of passing on now-All Star Tyrese Haliburton.

“If you watched Vendetta’s 2020 NBA Draft livestream, you know how many of us feel about Killian Hayes. It should be alarming to everyone how much hype he generated out of nowhere in the weeks leading up to draft night. My most likely scenario for Hayes is an Elfrid Payton-type who is a nifty passer and plays some defense, but doesn’t do much beyond that. I’ve watched his film, and there was nothing there to suggest that he’ll be a next-level talent in the NBA.”
2020 NBA Draft: Five Newly Drafted Players on Bust Watch (November 24, 2020)

When it comes to NBA Draft takes, I have significantly more hits than I do misses. I generally don’t take victory laps, but it feels warranted in this situation given the significant amount of draft analysts who were really high on Killian Hayes. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor had Hayes as his No. 1 player in the class! When I watched the film, nothing popped for me. I never bought the hype, and I never viewed him as even an above-average NBA prospect, much less a can’t-miss one. Less than five years later, Killian Hayes isn’t on a roster.

Killian Hayes was so bad that one of the worst NBA teams in recent memory decided he was of zero value to them. It should tell you something that the 7-43 Pistons really said, “Nah, we’re good.” Detroit’s return on investment was worse than anyone could have expected, but don’t say I didn’t try and warn you.

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