Following a year-long NBA layoff, Killian Hayes is attempting to prove his worth with the Brooklyn Nets. Three games into his 10-day contract, Jordi Fernandez is challenging him to be more of a threat offensively.
“I think he did a good job sharing the basketball. The way he’s assisting is good. But I need him to be aggressive as well,” Fernandez said after Monday’s 107-99 loss to the Washington Wizards. “He has to push the ball and get more attempts, get to the rim. Stay away from tough, contested mid-range shots. And I want him to shoot more threes. Three [attempts] is not enough. I need to see him letting it fly.”
With D’Angelo Russell sidelined, Hayes has started the Nets’ last two games at point guard. He’s been a willing passer, averaging 5.7 assists and 1.3 turnovers in 24.0 minutes per game. However, he’s been hesitant to hunt his shot, averaging 5.0 points on 31.3 percent shooting while attempting 5.3 field goals per game, the fewest on the team.
The 23-year-old has shot 1-of-6 from three over his three appearances.
Jordi Fernandez sets expectations for Killian Hayes during Nets audition
While Killian Hayes has NBA tools as a defender and facilitator, his lack of outside shooting held him back during his Detroit Pistons tenure. The former No. 7 pick shot 27.7 percent from three on 2.9 attempts per game over four seasons.
“He has size, a versatile defender, playmaker with the ball. It didn’t work because of his shooting,” former Pistons GM Troy Weaver told the Detroit Free Press after releasing Hayes midway through last season. “He never got his shooting. The guy can really defend, we’ve seen his playmaking ability, but if you’re a guard in the NBA you have to make shots. The further away you are from the basket, the more skilled you have to be. The closer to the basket, the less skilled you can be. If you’re a guard, you have to make shots.
“I’ve talked to Killian ad nauseam about that, improving his shooting. That’s ultimately why he wasn’t as successful a player as he needed to be. He has all the attributes for a good player, but when you’re a guard, shooting is paramount.”
Non-shooting point guards are few and far between in a modern NBA predicated on winning the math game at the three-point line. Following two and a half seasons with Ben Simmons as a lead ball-handler, the Nets know how such a player can limit an offense.
Brooklyn holds the NBA’s second-worst offense over the last 10 games, and their lack of three-point shooting has been at the center of those struggles. Fernandez’s squad ranks 28th in threes attempted (33.5 per game) and dead-last in three-point percentage (30.4) during that span.
“I mean, 36 threes attempted, shooting 39 percent, it’s not gonna do it. The percentage is excellent, but the attempts [number] is not,” the head coach said after Monday’s loss.
Hayes showed promise as an outside shooter during the first half of this season with the Long Island Nets. He shot 35.1 percent from three on 4.6 attempts per game over 29 appearances.
If the French floor general hopes to stick with Brooklyn, he’ll have to carry over that improvement at the NBA level.
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