Position: PG
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 210 pounds (95kg)
From: France
Age: 18
Wingspan: 6’7”
Standing Reach: N/A
Vertical: N/A
| 11.6 PTS | 5.4 AST | 2.8 TRB | 1.5 STL | 0.3 BLK | 3.0 TOV | 48.2% FG | 29.4% 3PT | 87.6% FT |
Offensive Role
Killian Hayes is a lead guard with great passing and excellent vision. His playmaking is the reason he comes into this draft as one of the top-rated guards with one of the highest floors. Hayes has good basketball IQ allowing him to read the defence easier and make difficult passes that other players may not see coming. Hayes is a three-level passer with the ability to makes passes to anywhere on the court whether it’s driving and kicking out to the three-point line, passing out of the pick and roll or in transition, it doesn’t make a difference. He is a threat to pass from anywhere on the court. Hayes is a solid athlete for his size and is able to drive in the paint and while he struggles to score against taller defenders, he is excellent at drawing fouls. When he does make it to the line, he is a particularly good free throw shooter, already able to shoot nearly 90% from the line and that should only continue to develop in the NBA.
While Hayes is good at creating his shot off the dribble, that is where the positives end. He struggles with his three-point shot, only shooting 29% from deep overseas. He has an unusual shot which needs to be fixed before he can improve his percentage. Having said this, he has shown some development over the last years and has potential to become a comfortable shooter in the NBA. He has also been seen to make some questionable shot choices and this would also be something that would need to be coached and developed in the NBA. Finally, Hayes is a left-handed player which becomes very apparent when you watch him play. He struggles to do anything with his right side which means he struggles with his dribble moves and makes him slightly predictable and easier to guard when he reaches the NBA.
Defensive Role
Killian Hayes is a decent player on the defensive end who has potential to develop into someone who will not be a liability in the NBA. Hayes is a great rebounder for his position, average nearly three rebounds a game. He is only really able to defends players of similar height to him and he struggles to guard wings or big men. He is quick with his hands and comes up with a few steals a game against guards but can get caught sitting on his heels by quick guards. Unfortunately, he shows inconsistent effort on defence and sometimes only shows up when there is something to gain individually like a steal or block, so he needs to improve his focus on team defence.
Medical History
No major injuries to date.
NBA Comparison
D’Angelo Russell, Dante Exum, Jay Williams.
Projected Pick
Killian Hayes is a top ten pick in the 2020 NBA draft with potential to get selected in the top five. However, due to there being no definitive top prospects in this draft class, teams are expected to make selections based on team needs rather than the talent of each draft prospect so his placement will very much depend on the results of the draft lottery. Hayes is one of the top guards in this draft class and his talent and potential should be enough to comfortably land him in the top ten.
Likely Team Fit
The best team fit for Killian Hayes is the New York Knicks. While some Knicks fans may object to drafting another French point guard, Hayes seems like the obvious choice for them. The Knicks have long been a rebuilding team who have struggled to develop any star players so far. They have a lack of depth at the point guard position and it may be time to take a chance on another young guard. Hayes would bring some offensive structure to the Knicks and get the offence going with his great playmaking. He would pair with RJ Barrett quite well and if the Knicks can land a young sharpshooter, they can develop a big three.
Overall
Killian Hayes has a case to be the best, if not, second best point guard in this draft behind LaMelo Ball. He is a great playmaker with excellent vision who can set up a shot from anywhere. He is a good athlete for his size who can draw fouls and back it up behind the line at a high rate. He has his struggles on defence and with his shooting, but he has shown development over the past year and has the potential to become a comfortable player in these areas of concern. Hayes has a high floor and can make an immediate impact to the right NBA team depending on where he gets drafted. With his overall talent and potential, I expect Hayes to be drafted to a rebuilding team in the top ten of this draft easily.