Detroit Pistons rookie Killian Hayes scored seven points and three assists in his first NBA tour Wednesday but his four turns looked set to be the biggest learning moment from the tournament.
Hayes recorded all seven of his points in the third quarter of the 111-101 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The seventh pick in the competition had a very slow start and it looked like a change for his first game in the regular season but he finally found his foundation in the third period.
The Pistons maintained a five-point lead going into the fourth quarter but were relegated 31-16 to lose the win, and the contest. Hayes only recorded three minutes in that time but made three late turns that helped turn the game around for the Timberwolves. On two separate trips, Hayes tried to post an entry pass to Blake Griffin. The pass was picked up twice by Ricky Rubio, which led to four points for the Timberwolves to tie the game with just over five minutes left.
Afterwards, Griffin offered Hayes a few words of encouragement.
“We know what we did and just move on to the next play,” Hayes said of his conversation with Griffin. “We can’t just live in one play forever. We’re just trying to encourage each other and move on. ”
Pistons head coach Dwane Casey has previously said Hayes will have a chance to play through his mistakes. Hayes started all of the Pistons ’preseason games and looks set to have a chance to become a full-time starter this season, which will go a long way in his development in the NBA.
Casey reiterated that the team is not worried about his mistakes.
“Rubio is one of the smartest guards in the league and he understands that he is relieved,” Casey said after the game. “It has to be thrown away or if you don’t like it, you don’t have to put it there. That’s all he learns, he’s a tough kid. We don’t worry about it at all. Unfortunately, it happened at a difficult time of the game. ”
Hayes showed throughout the preseason the ability to kick back and learn from his mistakes. He had a chance to close out the game but was quickly dragged down after his bad comments and that will no doubt be a real learning moment for the 19-year-old.
Detroit returns to action Saturday vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers.