The report comes via The Athletic’s own James Edwards III:
Per sources, the plan is for #Pistons rookie Killian Hayes to return for tomorrow’s game against the Knicks. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft has been out since January with a hip injury.
— James Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) April 2, 2021
Killian Hayes, the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, suffered a hip subluxation against the Milwaukee Bucks early in January, after only seven games of NBA action.
Hayes’ return offers perhaps the final layer of intrigue for Pistons fans about the state of the team for the rest of the 2020-21 season. Killian had played… pretty poorly, actually, for Detroit, averaging 4.6 points and 3.6 assists to 2.4 turnovers in his 20 minutes a night, but the flashes of passing ability that made him an intriguing prospect were still on display. The hope for Pistons fans has to be that, after almost three months of acclimation to NBA life, Hayes is more productive and more settled a player than the one we saw in his first seven games.
James Edwards’ report also does not mention what role the Pistons plan on bringing Killian back in; will he return to the starting lineup or come off the bench? The Pistons’ current point guard situation without Dennis Smith Jr. – Saben Lee starting on a two-way, newly acquired Cory Joseph coming off the bench, other two-way player Frank Jackson now solely relegated to shooting guard status – perhaps points to Hayes getting to start again right away, but Dwane Casey has admitted that starting Killian right away was maybe throwing him too deep into the NBA pool.
Whether he starts or comes off the bench, though, Pistons fans will hope Killian Hayes shows the same rapid progression that his fellow rookies Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, and Saben Lee have shown as the season has gone along.