The Detroit Pistons are not a team that will turn a lot of heads this season in terms of wins. They will try to lay a foundation for their future. This team needs a training camp surprise to blossom in the regular season.
The Pistons are in a rebuild, trying to get back on the path of winning.
The last couple of seasons were hard for the Pistons faithful since the last time their team was in the postseason was in 2019.
The last time Pistons actually won a series in the playoffs was actually 2008, when the team contained legends like Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton, and Tayshaun Prince.
Today, however, it is a completely different story. The best players coming into the season are probably Jerami Grant, Cade Cunningham, and Saddiq Bey. Josh Jackson is also there, just like Cory Joseph, Kelly Olynyk, and Trey Lyles, but that is about it when it comes to real NBA quality on the roster. The rest are either guys like Rodney McGruder who are holding on for their NBA life or Luka Garza who is a raw prospect hopeful to have some minutes in the upcoming season.
Above all of them is a possible surprise for the upcoming season, a name that reappeared in the training camp as an exciting prospect – Killian Hayes.
Pistons training camp surprise
As a former 7th pick, Hayes had some expectations before last season began. He was a player that had three years of professional experience in France and Germany before coming over to the US. Additionally, the title of MVP from the FIBA Basketball World Cup for under-17 players gave him the reputation of an excellent prospect. All of that, however, fell through in the first season he had with the Pistons.
From the get-go, it was clear that the rookies might struggle last season. It was an uncomfortable time, without a clear timetable for the return of NBA basketball. There was no Summer League, nor a complete training camp. Thus, the adjustment for players like Hayes, coming over from a different brand of basketball, was extremely hard. It hit Hayes especially, who also had a significant hip injury. The Pistons looked like they completely wasted their 7th selection.
However, all the reports coming out of training camp now are stating that Hayes is ready to show his worth. Although also a point guard, Hayes has also been working on playing together with the presumed starting playmaker, Cade Cunningham. The 1st overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, who plays the same position, and Hayes have been developing a relationship in the training camp that might surprise a lot of people in the upcoming season.
When interviewed by NBA.com, Hayes said this about playing with Cunningham:
We’re both really smart players. He has a really high basketball IQ. I think it’s not a hard adjustment. You see a lot of teams having two ballhandlers, creators, on the floor at the same time. It’s harder to guard.
In the same report, a statement by coach Dwane Casey was also included, where he praised Hayes and his work as a training camp surprise. The veteran Pistons coach had this to say:
Killian has done a heck of a job. I think he’s leading the team in assists. Today he was pushing the ball, making the right basketball plays. He allowed the Blue team to score easily. I love the way he’s pushing the pace. He’s had the ball more so far. We have some dynamic scorers in Jerami (Grant), Saddiq (Bey) – we have some scoring – but we’ve got to have the guys who push the ball in transition, which Cade and Killian can do.
It is clear that Casey is putting a lot of trust in Hayes. While it does not make much sense in the conventional way of basketball, but the Pistons might actually feature a starting lineup of Hayes and Cunningham. It would make them a very exciting team to watch, with two young guns pushing the pace with their endless energy.
If that is the case, it was all the work that Hayes put in coming into this training camp. He clearly came in wanting to prove that the first season was just a mixture of bad luck, injuries, and the lack of true preparation for the year. Now, with a full training camp and preseason, if Hayes and Cunningham can start and mesh well together, the backcourt for the Pistons is set.
Of course, Cunningham should be the first star of this team in the upcoming years. That does not mean that he does not need a steady, playmaking hand next to him to help out with shot-creation. Hayes can do that and if given the proper chance and circumstance, Hayes will do that.
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