This was already shaping up as a long season for the Pistons. It just got longer.
Seventh overall pick Killian Hayes, point guard of the future and the central pillar of Detroit's rebuild, has suffered a labral tear in his hip, according to The Athletic.
Depending on the severity of the tear, there's a chance that Hayes' rookie season is over. The injury often requires surgery to fix.
Hayes suffered the injury in the third quarter of Detroit's loss to the Bucks on Monday when he turned the ball over in the half court and then tumbled to the floor while trying to defend the ensuing fast break. He was rolling under the basket in pain as he clutched at the area around his hip.
It had already been a difficult transition to the NBA for the 19-year-old, who was thrown into the fire after a shortened offseason and training camp. He was averaging 4.6 points and 3.6 assists while shooting 28 percent from the field through seven games.
Now those numbers don't seem so important. The priority moving forward is getting Hayes healthy.