There's professional basketball, and then there's the NBA. There's the NBA, and then there's playing point guard. And then there's playing point guard for 30 minutes a night, one night after another, against stronger, faster, smarter opponents. Killian Hayes had played against men before, but not against men like this.
Men like this disrupt your dribble and deflect your passes. They block your shots and make their own. They knock you off your feet and off your game, and your game has always been in rhythm. Your game is so graceful it got you drafted seventh overall. Now it has to grow up.
When he was on the floor this season, the 19-year-old Hayes often looked his age. He had a hard time finding space, struggled to make shots and his defense wilted as the year went on. It didn't help that he missed three months with a hip injury. But all of it will help in the long run, all of it will make Hayes a better player when next season arrives.
It starts with his shooting. That will be one of Hayes' primary areas of focus this summer. Hayes shot just 35 percent from the field this season -- and 28 percent from the three -- after shooting 48 percent last season in Europe. And his shooting starts with his body. Hayes needs the strength and stamina to get himself to better spots.
"Now he’s felt the speed and the length and the physicality of the defense," said Dwane Casey. "And conditioning wise, now you know how it feels for fatigue to set in in an NBA game. So let’s get our body and our conditioning up to that level where now I can fight through it when my body and my mind feels like it’s about to lock up. That’s a usual feel for an NBA game. There’s a difference in NBA conditioning that I know he will get to."
When he does, Hayes can really start to fulfill his potential. He flashed it plenty as a rookie, even if he was limited to 26 games. He slipped passes through cracks in the defense. He danced to the rim with shakes of his shoulders and hips. Down the stretch, Hayes became the first Pistons rookie to notch at least five assists in 14 straight games since a dude by the name of Isiah.
No one was tougher than Isiah. No one got knocked down harder and picked himself up more often. No one was gamer to run point for 35 minutes a night, one night after another, than the guy who nearly won a championship, by himself, on one ankle. The speed, length and physicality of the NBA, all of it adds up to one thing: a supremely high cost of success.
That's what Pistons GM Troy Weaver believes Hayes took out of his rookie season. That's the lesson Hayes will carry with him into 2021-21.
"The NBA is tough," said Weaver. "You gotta be ready every night to compete and fight and understand that there’s no easy way out. If you want to be successful in this league, you gotta fight for it. One of the best songs ever made, people laugh and joke about it, but 'You Gotta Fight For Your Right To Party.' And if you wanna be a really good player, you gotta fight for it. So the Beastie Boys were on point."
The training for Hayes starts now. And it starts here, in Detroit, where he's based this summer. Hayes will go through a strength and conditioning program over the next few weeks, then start working on the court with Casey and the Pistons coaching staff. Summer League awaits. September's a long way away.
Of Detroit's four rookies this year, the highest draft pick made the smallest impact. He still has the highest ceiling. He still finished second among NBA rookies in assists. Hayes wasn't ready to be the Pistons' starting point guard this season, but the job remains his to lose. The fight remains his to win, for the right to be remembered.