Killian Hayes has not played in an NBA game in over a year. However, after signing a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets, the former No. 7 pick will debut against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
“I felt very grateful. I felt like a lot of work got put into this, and I’m just very grateful for this opportunity,” Hayes said after signing the deal. “[I’m ready to] just do whatever I’m asked. Just play hard, go out there, and play ball. [Harness] any excitement I have. Just give it my all, really.”
After the Detroit Pistons released him midway through 2023-24, the Nets invited Hayes to training camp this fall. He was cut after suffering a hip injury but signed with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate. The 23-year-old averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.6 assists on 47/35/69 shooting splits over 29 appearances with the Long Island Nets.
Killian Hayes attempting to revitalize NBA career with Nets
At 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan, Killian Hayes’ size, defense and ball-handling drew high expectations upon entering the NBA. However, his poor outside shooting (27.7 percent from three 45.6 percent true shooting) held him back in Detroit.
Former Pistons general manager Troy Weaver admitted this after releasing Hayes last season.
“He has size, a versatile defender, playmaker with the ball,” Weaver told the Detroit Free Press. “It didn’t work because of his shooting. 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 he needed to be. He has all the attributes for a good player, but when you’re a guard shooting is paramount.”
However, after an offseason primarily focused on fixing his jumper, Hayes showed improvement in Long Island. The Frenchman shot 35.1 percent from three on 4.6 attempts per game.
“It just comes with reps and confidence. I think confidence plays a big part in shooting,” Hayes said of his three-point improvement. “When I was over there, I was playing with a lot of confidence. Every shot I took, I felt it was going in. So it’s just about coming in here with the same impact, same mentality.”
While maintaining his three-point efficiency will be critical, defense and facilitation are Hayes’ main calling cards.
“Defensively bringing aggressiveness, bothering anybody who is bringing the ball up. And offensively, just play my game. I’ve always been somebody that likes to find their teammates. Create shots, create openings for my teammates as well, and just be aggressive,” he said of the Nets coaching staff’s points of emphasis.
The Nets hold the NBA’s best defense during a 6-1 stretch over their last seven games. Hayes will add another high-level point-of-attack defender in Brooklyn’s backcourt as the team pushes for a play-in spot. He’ll join Trendon Watford as a backup point guard option behind D’Angelo Russell.
“We had him here through training camp, and he committed to play with our club in Long Island, and he’s done a great job,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said of Hayes. “He’s impacted games, assisting, rebounding, scoring, and he’s been playing the right way. So right now, we know Trendon can be the guy that runs the point, but at the same time, Trendon can be a 1, 2, 3; he’s multi-positional. So having a quote-unquote, more traditional backup point guard is also good for us.
“We’ll give it a look. This 10-day is important, not just for him, but also for us. And he can do the things we ask him to do because we know who he is. That’s the reason why we brought him in the first place.”
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