Killian Hayes
Hayes with the Detroit Pistons in 2022
Free agent
PositionPoint guard
Personal information
Born (2001-07-27) July 27, 2001 (age 22)
Lakeland, Florida, U.S.
NationalityFrench / American
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2020: 1st round, 7th overall pick
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–2019Cholet
2019–2020Ratiopharm Ulm
2020–2024Detroit Pistons
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  France
FIBA Under-17 World Cup
Silver medal – second place 2018 Argentina Team
FIBA U16 European Championship
Gold medal – first place 2017 Montenegro Team

Killian Deron Antron Hayes (born July 27, 2001) is a French-American professional basketball player who last played for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The son of basketball player DeRon Hayes [fr], he was born in Lakeland, Florida but grew up in France due to his father's professional career. From a young age, Hayes played with French club Cholet and excelled at the junior level. He debuted for Cholet's senior team at age 16 before receiving regular playing time in the following season. In 2019–20, he moved to Germany to play for Ulm.

Hayes won the gold medal and earned most valuable player (MVP) honors with France at the 2017 FIBA U16 European Championship. He led his team to a silver medal at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup.

Early life and career

Hayes was born in Lakeland, Florida in the United States, in the same hospital as his father, DeRon Hayes [fr], who was playing basketball in the American Basketball Association (ABA) at the time.[1] One year later, Hayes began living in Cholet, France after his father continued his career in the LNB Pro A, the country's top league. He played basketball from an early age, facing older opponents and often playing pick-up games in Lakeland and Orlando, Florida. Hayes watched highlights of basketball games on YouTube, drawing inspiration from basketball player Dwyane Wade and AND1 mixtapes, to learn new moves. He grew up playing for Cholet Basket, his father's former club, at the youth level. Although he wanted to play high school and college basketball in the United States, he remained in France upon the advice of his father, who had come from the American basketball system.[2]

In 2016, Hayes turned down an opportunity to join INSEP, a prestigious sports institute in Paris, upon his parents' guidance. He began playing for Espoirs Cholet in LNB Espoirs, the French under-21 league, in the 2016–17 season and was five to seven years younger than many of his opponents.[3][4] In seven Espoirs games, Hayes averaged 4.7 points and 2.3 assists in 15.4 minutes per game.[5] In April 2017, he recorded 13 points, seven assists and five steals, sharing most valuable player (MVP) honors with Addison Patterson, at the Jordan Brand Classic International Game.[6] In the 2017–18 season, Hayes averaged 16.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game for Espoirs Cholet.[4][5] He was named league MVP after the regular season and helped his team win the Trophée du Futur (Trophy of the Future), being named MVP of the competition.[7][8]

Professional career

Cholet (2017–2019)

Hayes with Cholet in 2018

Hayes made his debut with the Cholet senior team on October 21, 2017 at 16 years, two months and 24 days of age, playing two minutes in a loss to Nanterre 92 in the LNB Pro A.[9] In February 2018, he played in the Basketball Without Borders camp during NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, where he was the second-youngest participant.[10] In his Pro A season finale on May 15, 2018, Hayes recorded 12 points and six assists in a win over Le Mans for his best performance of the season.[11] He finished the season averaging 2.2 points and 1.2 assists in 9.1 minutes per game, through nine appearances.[12]

Before the 2018–19 season, he signed a three-year professional contract with Cholet after considering various other European clubs.[13] On September 22, 2018, after missing three weeks with back and toe injuries, Hayes scored 12 points in a loss to Strasbourg in his first appearance of the season.[14] After his team was last place in its league early in the season, it parted ways with head coach Régis Boissié, who was replaced by Erman Kunter. Due to Cholet's struggles, Hayes initially believed he had "made a huge mistake by staying in Europe."[2] At 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina in February, he competed at the Basketball Without Borders camp for the second time.[15] On May 30, 2019, Hayes tallied a season-high 17 points, five rebounds and five steals in a loss to Élan Chalon.[16] In 34 games, Hayes averaged 7.1 points and 3.1 assists per game.[2]

Ulm (2019–2020)

Hayes with Ulm in 2019

On August 2, 2019, Hayes signed a three-year contract with ratiopharm Ulm of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the top league in Germany, and the EuroCup.[17] He debuted on September 24, posting 15 points, six rebounds and six assists in a win over Rasta Vechta.[18] Hayes played his first EuroCup game on October 2, finishing with eight points, nine assists and three steals in a loss to Virtus Bologna.[19] On November 3, he recorded his first career double-double, with 11 points and 11 assists in a loss to Alba Berlin.[20] Two weeks later, Hayes scored a then-career-high 24 points, along with five assists and three steals, in an 81–78 victory over Brose Bamberg.[21] On November 20, he tallied 12 points and 11 assists in a loss to Promitheas Patras, becoming the second-youngest player to ever register a double-double in the EuroCup, the youngest being Ricky Rubio.[22] Hayes established a new career-high in scoring on December 18, with 25 points, five three-pointers and five assists in a 96–92 defeat to Maccabi Rishon LeZion.[23] He recorded 20 points and 10 assists in a 112–106 overtime loss to Alba Berlin on February 11.[24] When the BBL was suspended on March 8 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hayes returned to his family in Lakeland. On 27 March, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[25] Hayes did not play in the BBL Final Tournament held that June.[26] He finished the season averaging 11.6 points, 5.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game through 33 combined games in the EuroCup, BBL and BBL-Pokal.[12]

Detroit Pistons (2020–present)

Hayes was drafted seventh overall in the 2020 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons.[27] On December 1, 2020, Hayes signed his rookie scale contract with the Pistons.[28] On January 4, 2021, in a 115–125 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, he suffered a hip injury, which was diagnosed as a labral tear two days later.[29] On January 20, he was ruled out for at least two months due to the injury.[30] On April 29, Hayes recorded a season-high 11 assists in a 105–115 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.[31] On May 9, he scored a season-high 21 points, alongside seven rebounds and eight assists, in a 96–108 loss to the Chicago Bulls.[32]

On February 11, 2022, Hayes recorded a career-high 12 assists, alongside eleven points, in a 119–141 blowout loss to the Charlotte Hornets.[33] On April 1, he logged a career-high 26 points, along with eight assists, seven rebounds, and five steals, in a 110–101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.[34]

On December 28, 2022, Hayes was ejected from a game against the Orlando Magic. While pursuing a loose ball, the Magic's Mo Wagner gave Hayes an arm-to-arm shove, sending Hayes into the Pistons' bench. This led to Hayes' teammate Hamidou Diallo pushing Wagner from behind and then Hayes punching Wagner in the back of the head, causing Wagner to appear to lose consciousness before laying in the arms of a player on the Piston's bench for more than a dozen seconds. All three players were ejected from the game.[35] The next day, the NBA announced that Hayes would be suspended for three games without pay as a result of the incident.[36]

On February 8, 2024, Hayes was waived by the Pistons.[37]

National team career

While representing France, Hayes was named MVP of the 2017 FIBA U16 European Championship in Podgorica, Montenegro.[38] He averaged 16.6 points, seven rebounds and 5.1 assists per game and led his team to a gold medal.[39][40] At the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Argentina, Hayes won a silver medal and was named to the All-Star Five after averaging 16.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.7 steals per game.[12] In July 2019, the French Federation of Basketball imposed a six-game suspension on Hayes for not playing in the 2019 FIBA U20 European Championship in Tel Aviv, Israel.[41]

Player profile

Hayes (left), with Cholet, defending Le Portel's Brandyn Curry in 2018

Hayes primarily functions as a point guard.[42] Listed at a height of 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in), he possesses exceptional size for his position, although he is not regarded by analysts as an extraordinary athlete.[43][44][45] Hayes is left-handed and rarely handles the ball with his right hand, which sometimes limits him. He models his offensive game after that of James Harden, another left-handed guard.[46] Hayes has drawn the most praise for his playmaking repertoire. In February 2020, The Athletic writer Sam Vecenie said that "his vision is absolutely off the charts, and his ability to complete passes off of a live dribble with his left hand is unbelievable out of ball screens."[47] Hayes thrives as a pick and roll ball-handler and is comfortable operating in a half-court offense.[43] At the same time, he can be prone to turning the ball over.[46] Hayes displays good shooting form and often attempts step-back jump shots, but his three-point shooting is considered a work in progress.[48] He excels in shooting off the dribble as opposed to in catch-and-shoot situations.[43] Hayes is an accurate free throw shooter and has good touch around the basket, with an advanced floater.[42][48] He can guard shooting guards and smaller-sized small forwards. While his lack of lateral quickness prevents him from being a great perimeter defender, he is more effective as an off-ball and pick and roll defender.[49]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Detroit 26 18 25.8 .353 .278 .824 2.7 5.3 1.0 .4 6.8
2021–22 Detroit 66 40 25.0 .383 .263 .770 3.2 4.2 1.2 .5 6.9
2022–23 Detroit 76 56 28.3 .377 .280 .821 2.9 6.2 1.4 .4 10.3
2023–24 Detroit 42 31 24.0 .413 .297 .660 2.8 4.9 .9 .5 6.9
Career 210 145 26.1 .382 .277 .775 2.9 5.2 1.2 .4 8.1

EuroCup

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20[50] Ulm 10 10 26.8 .455 .390 .909 2.3 6.2 1.5 .2 12.8

Personal life

Hayes has an American father, DeRon Hayes [fr], who played college basketball as a forward for the Penn State Nittany Lions in the early 1990s and left as one of the program's most prolific scorers.[2][51] DeRon played professionally in France, Portugal, Sweden, Ukraine and Russia.[4][52] He spent much of the prime years of his career with French clubs Cholet and SLUC Nancy.[53] Hayes' mother, Sandrine (née Demiannay), is a native of Cholet, France and is a former basketball player as well.[54] His parents met because his mother's sister was the girlfriend of his father's teammate.[2]

References

  1. ^ Proux, Jérémy (February 14, 2017). "Avec le fils, les Hayes font la paire". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Gardner, David (August 2, 2019). "Killian Hayes Is Coming to Claim His Basketball Birthright". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  3. ^ Givony, Jonathan; Schmitz, Mike (April 18, 2017). "Jordan Brand Classic Global Showcase Scouting Reports". DraftExpress. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Killian Hayes, le scoring dans le sang" (in French). Cholet Basket. February 16, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Hayes Killian". LNB.fr. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  6. ^ "Killian Hayes co-MVP du Jordan Brand Classic Global 2017". Cholet Basket (in French). Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  7. ^ Durand, Jacques (May 27, 2018). "Trophée du Futur : Cholet sacré, Killian Hayes MVP". Basket Europe (in French). Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  8. ^ "TDF : Killian Hayes MVP" (in French). LNB.fr. May 27, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  9. ^ Rutard, Sacha. "Killian Hayes (Cholet), 16 ans, est entré en jeu en Pro A". Basket Europe (in French). Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  10. ^ Givony, Jonathan (February 8, 2018). "Basketball Without Borders: Camp preview and full roster reveal". ESPN. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  11. ^ Guern, Thomas (May 15, 2018). "Killian Hayes, le prodige de Cholet, "réfléchit à toutes les options"". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  12. ^ a b c "Killian Hayes Player Profile". RealGM. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  13. ^ Proux, Jérémy (June 28, 2018). "Killian Hayes, les coulisses d'une "négo"". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  14. ^ Rutard, Sacha (September 22, 2018). "Cholet: Après trois semaines d'absence, Killian Hayes revient ce soir contre Strasbourg". Basket Europe (in French). Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  15. ^ Woo, Jeremy (February 18, 2019). "The Best NBA Draft Prospects at 2019 Basketball Without Borders". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  16. ^ "Mar 30, 2019 - Cholet 84 at Chalon-Sur-Saone 89". RealGM. March 30, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  17. ^ "Ulm gives the ball to teen guard Hayes". EuroCup. August 2, 2019. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  18. ^ "Neuzugang Killian Hayes führt Ulm zum Sieg gegen Vechta". Südwestrundfunk (in German). September 24, 2019. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  19. ^ "Virtus makes EuroCup return with win at Ulm". EuroCup Basketball. October 2, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  20. ^ "Nov 3, 2019 - Ratiopharm Ulm 89, ALBA Berlin 109". RealGM. November 3, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  21. ^ Lupo, Nicola (November 17, 2019). "Show di Killian Hayes contro il Bamberg: career-high da 24 punti". Sportando (in Italian). Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  22. ^ "Promitheas wins, eliminates Ulm". EuroCup. November 20, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  23. ^ Brouet, Christophe (December 19, 2019). "Killian Hayes marque les esprits en vue de la draft avec une grosse performance en EuroCup" (in French). Basket-Infos. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  24. ^ "Alba wins shootout, Gottingen triumphs over Bayern". EuroHoops. February 11, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  25. ^ Givony, Jonathan (March 27, 2020). "PG Killian Hayes entering NBA draft, 'excited'". ESPN. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  26. ^ Givony, Jonathan (May 8, 2020). "Top NBA prospect Killian Hayes won't play in German league finale". ESPN. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  27. ^ Sankofa, Omari II (November 18, 2020). "Detroit Pistons select guard Killian Hayes seventh overall in 2020 NBA draft". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  28. ^ "Detroit Pistons Sign Rookies Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart, Saddiq Bey and Saben Lee". NBA.com. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  29. ^ "Report: Pistons Rookie Killian Hayes Diagnosed with Labral Tear in Hip Injury". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  30. ^ "Killian Hayes' Hip Injury to Be Re-Evaluated by Pistons in 8 Weeks". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  31. ^ Trister, Noah (April 29, 2021). "Hardaway scores 42, Mavericks beat Pistons 115-105". NBA. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  32. ^ Hogg, Dave (May 9, 2021). "Vucevic's double-double, LaVine's 30 lead Bulls over Pistons". NBA. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  33. ^ Hogg, Dave (February 11, 2022). "Ball, Rozier lead Hornets to 141-119 win over Pistons". NBA. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  34. ^ "Hayes and Jackson muscle Pistons to 9-point win over Thunder". ESPN. April 2, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  35. ^ "Pistons vs. Magic altercation: Killian Hayes appears to knock out Moe Wagner with punch to back of head". CBS Sports. December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  36. ^ "NBA announces suspensions from Pistons-Magic game". NBA.com. December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  37. ^ Pistons PR [@Pistons_PR] (February 8, 2024). "The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has requested waivers on guards Killian Hayes and Joe Harris and forward Danuel House Jr" (Tweet). Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Twitter.
  38. ^ "France's Hayes named MVP, headlines All-Star Five". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  39. ^ "Killian HAYES at the FIBA U16 European Championship Division A 2017 - FIBA.basketball". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  40. ^ "France crowned U16 European champions". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  41. ^ "Ratiopharm Ulm signs possible lottery pick Killian Hayes". EuroHoops. August 2, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  42. ^ a b Magnotti, Trevor (December 2, 2019). "Is Killian Hayes an NBA point guard?". FanSided. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  43. ^ a b c Tjarks, Jonathan (March 5, 2020). "Will NBA Teams Lean Overseas in the 2020 NBA Draft?". The Ringer. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  44. ^ Berman, Marc (March 22, 2020). "Hidden point-guard gem Killian Hayes may be answer for Knicks". New York Post. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  45. ^ "Killian Hayes" (in German). ratiopharm Ulm. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  46. ^ a b Strauss, Ethan (February 13, 2020). "French prospect Killian Hayes could be special and is a Warriors name to watch in the 2020 draft". The Athletic. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  47. ^ Vecenie, Sam (February 28, 2020). "Vecenie's 2020 NBA Draft Big Board, 3.0: The internationals make their move". The Athletic. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  48. ^ a b Cohen, Zachary (February 24, 2020). "Taking A Look At The 2020 NBA Draft's Five Best International Prospects". Forbes. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  49. ^ Milner, Zach; Pearlman, Spencer (February 14, 2020). "Killian Hayes Scouting Report (Collaboration)". The Stepien. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  50. ^ "Hayes, Killian – Welcome to 7DAYS EuroCup". EuroCup. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  51. ^ "Postgame Notes: Penn State 63, Minnesota 58". Penn State University Athletics. January 28, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  52. ^ "Killian Hayes, NBA et JO 2024 dans le viseur". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  53. ^ "DeRon Hayes : retour attendu, pas encore payant". Ouest-France (in French). November 26, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  54. ^ "Killian Hayes" (in French). Cholet Basket. Retrieved March 26, 2020.

External links

FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship Most Valuable Player Award
2020 NBA draft
Categories