The Detroit Pistons announced on Thursday that their rookie guard Killian Hayes will miss at least eight more weeks as he recovers from a hip injury.
Hayes, who was the No. 7 pick in the 2020 NBA draft, got injured in a 125-115 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks earlier in January. At the time, Detroit didn’t offer a timetable on his return, and it seemed like the 19-year-old youngster was headed towards surgery.
Further examination in past weeks, however, showed that Hayes wouldn’t need a procedure after all. But he will still need to go through almost two months of rest and rehab before returning to court.
The news represents an unfortunate development for Killian Hayes, considering he was positioned to have an impactful first season in the NBA. Despite early rookie struggles, the Pistons were ready to give Hayes room to develop and had him as a starter for the first seven games in 2020-21.
Detroit head coach Dwane Casey told reporters on Thursday that the team now has to give support to Hayes through this difficult period and make sure he remains “connected to the team” while on the sidelines.
“The one thing I’m concerned about is to make sure he stays connected mentally,” said Casey. “Keep the village around him. Make sure he stays connected to the team.”
Before going down with the injury, Hayes was averaging 4.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.
