On Wednesday, the Detroit Pistons announced that surgery will not be required on the right hip injury suffered by Killian Hayes on Jan. 4 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Hayes was diagnosed with a torn right labrum and the team said further assessment of the injury identifies the origin as subluxation, which is part of a movement. It will be treated with rest and rehabilitation and will be reassessed in eight weeks.
The seventh overall pick seemed to suffer at first trying to defend a layup. Instead he fell to the floor and immediately grabbed his right leg in visible discomfort.
The news that Hayes will be avoiding surgery was certainly an encouraging update considering he was likely to have ended his season. The eight-week timeline would allow Hayes to return to play in the second half of the season if he doesn’t get into any other problems.
Hayes is seen as an important building block for the future of the Pistons. The team prioritized his development and wanted to allow him to record heavy minutes this season to adjust to an NBA game and play through his mistakes.
The 19-year-old is averaging 4.6 points and 3.6 assists this season.