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The rookie season for Detroit Pistons guard Killian Hayes came and went rather quickly, but the seventh overall pick from a year ago is ready to put it past him and hit the upcoming summer running.
Of course, Hayes missed nearly three months of action after suffering a hip injury just seven games into the season. The setback did not require surgery, but it did cost him valuable development time with his new team on the court.
Once Hayes was cleared, the 19-year-old showed potential on the court.
Hayes averaged 7.6 points, 5.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 19 games after returning on April 3. He produced a career-high 21 points, eight assists and seven rebounds on May 9, becoming the first Pistons rookie to reach those numbers since Grant Hill in the 1994-95 season.
After getting his feet wet in the NBA, the upcoming summer will be an important one for Hayes, and the rest of the young Pistons roster.
“I got a lot of (to do), especially going into the offseason,” Hayes said this week. “It is a big offseason awaiting all of us, just getting right. We know what we gotta do, what we need to work on. It felt good getting on the court being back out there with my teammates but now, it’s time to work for real. It’s a big summer coming up and we’ll be ready for next season.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=717sH_RvaQI
With just a small sample size under his belt, Hayes will enter the offseason with plenty to fine-tune in the gym.
Pistons head coach Dwane Casey pointed to the development of rookies like Hayes, Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey as perhaps the biggest highlight of the season. In order to continue that growth, those players will each need to have good summers and build upon that progress.
The coaching staff plans to work with Hayes and other players on the roster in Detroit. Among the areas in which they’d like to see Hayes improve is his shooting and conditioning level to handle the rigors of a full, 82-game schedule next season.
Hayes projects as the early favorite to be the Pistons’ starting point guard next season, but Casey stopped short of naming him the guy just three days after the regular season concluded.
I’m not going to promise anybody a position starting out. I want guys to stay hungry. He is the leader in the clubhouse but there is nothing going to be in concrete (in order) to get guys to keep working this summer and kinda look over their shoulder a little bit, but not in a bad way.
He is not a rookie anymore. He has got two feet in the NBA; he is not just starting out. All of the rookies know kinda what to expect with the league, what they can do so they can go into the summer now to work on those weaknesses and also improve their strengths going into next year.
The summer projects to be an important time for Hayes, and the rest of the rookie class. The group did not have a traditional offseason period and was thrust into the spotlight given the circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
The upcoming months for Hayes will serve as a great opportunity to improve and put what he learned to the test in order to work on his weaknesses. With some work, and willingness to get better, Hayes figures to be in store for a strong second season in the league.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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