Pistons observations: Killian Hayes was asked to sink or swim. His head is above water

MONTREAL — Here are some thoughts and observations following the Detroit Pistons’ 128-125 preseason win Thursday over the Oklahoma City Thunder:

Killian Hayes should have a rotation spot, and he probably will

Everything Detroit did this summer suggested that Killian Hayes’ time with the organization was nearing a conclusion.

The Pistons traded up in the 2023 NBA Draft to get another first-round pick and add a guard in Marcus Sasser. They traded for one of the better veteran backups in the NBA in Monte Morris. The No. 7 pick in the 2020 draft was already sharing ballhandling duties with Cade Cunningham, who is returning from season-ending surgery last year, and Jaden Ivey, who was one of the better rookies in the league last season.

Until about two weeks ago, it felt like Hayes would be the odd man out. You’d have to squint really, really hard to even envision how he’d crack the rotation of new head coach Monty Williams.

Then training camp began, and Williams praised Hayes’ performances when the curtains were closed and admitted that the big guard was on his radar in 2020, and that he’s been intrigued from a distance. Then the curtains opened, and everything Williams highlighted when talking about Hayes showed itself to everyone who wanted to see it for themselves.

Through two preseason games, Hayes is averaging 14.5 points on 57 percent shooting, 5.5 assists, three steals and just one turnover per game. He’s been consistent on both ends of the floor.

The Pistons put Hayes in a position to, put simply, sink or swim. It’s just the preseason, but he’s doing backstrokes.

“It’s a tough spot for him to be in,” Williams said. “He’s been working with the ‘White’ group (second unit) in our practice for about 1 1/2 weeks, two weeks. So, then he’s with the starters. But I think that’s the adjustment he can make. He’s a pretty tough dude. I like his ability to guard. I like how he gets through screens. It’s two games, so he’s still learning our offense and our system, but I like what he brings to the table.

“He has an ability to get to the basket. He can shoot the ball better than I thought he could.”

If you’ve been following Hayes’ career, those last two sentences, particularly, probably have you scratching your head. However, Hayes has attacked the rim with purpose and confidence through two preseason games. His 3-pointer isn’t falling, but he’s knocking down midrange jumpers at a decent clip.

killian jus casually getting past chet and finishing off the high glass which is out of chet’s reach pic.twitter.com/7LQd2J2jka

— dope ™️ (@dopeisalive) October 13, 2023

Hayes’ confidence has been palpable the last few weeks. He looks like someone who no longer has the weight of the world on his shoulders and is expected to be a franchise savior. He looks to have found comfort in his game and what he brings to a team naturally.

There’s a maturity about him.

“I think that comes with growth — playing games, seeing the bad and seeing the good,” said Hayes, who was in the starting lineup for Thursday’s game. “You just start to adjust. I’m starting to learn what I can do on the court every night, what I can bring to the table. That’s just growth. That’s just part of my journey. There were tough years, but you keep fighting and keep working. Every night, put your head down and keep working.”

Ultimately, Hayes needs to find consistency. We’ve seen stretches before that suggested he turned a corner, but then things spiraled. He’s got the blueprint to success. He knows what the best version of him looks like. We’ve all seen it. Maybe, with fewer expectations from the outside, we see it more regularly.

I think there’s a chance we will because I believe Hayes finds his way into Williams’ rotation when basketball matters. Morris hasn’t played in the preseason yet because of a lower-back injury. Alec Burks has struggled a bit through two preseason games. Hayes has done everything that the Pistons are preaching. It would send a bad message if he weren’t awarded minutes to begin the season.

My gut tells me he’ll be given every opportunity to succeed, but it will be on him to take the opportunity and run with it.

Ausar Thompson’s defense continues to pop

The No. 5 pick in June’s draft continues to impress every time he’s able to play. Thursday’s game against the Thunder was no different.

Watching Thompson anticipate and get through screens is impressive. How often he keeps his body between the ball and the rim, no matter who he is defending, isn’t normal for a rookie. Thompson continues to be a factor on the defensive glass.

It’s easy to understand why Williams is leaning toward putting the rookie in the opening-night starting lineup.

I mean, just look at this defense on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Halftime thoughts:

Ivey's driving and scoring ability (14 first half points)

Ausars DEFENSE, he's even blocking jumpers 👀

Stews touch around the rim is looking better

This defensive possession from Ausar though 👀👀pic.twitter.com/YSvaIocVdz

— Jack Kelly (@jack_kelly_313) October 13, 2023

Now, watch at this screen navigation and on-ball defense on Jalen Williams and contest on Lu Dort.

Ausar Thompson doing an excellent job guarding Jalen Williams pic.twitter.com/0sYJFUTiTl

— Siddharth (@SiddharthNBA) October 13, 2023

He’s everything Detroit has been searching for on that end of the floor.

Isaiah Stewart’s touch around the rim has been a positive

Here’s a stat for you: Stewart has converted on all seven of his shot attempts inside the arc through two preseason games.

Williams has dialed up post-up opportunities for Stewart and it appears to be a wrinkle that’ll be put to use. Stewart had a nice isolation, post-up finish through and over Chet Holmgren in Thursday’s game.

Stewart took a step backward finishing inside the arc the last two seasons, and while he won’t be perfect shooting from now until the end of the season, it’s encouraging to see that he’s once again found comfort and has been empowered to score around the rim.

Additionally, after going 1-of-6 from 3 in the Pistons’ preseason opener, Stewart knocked down two of his four 3-point attempts against the Thunder.

Other notes

• The Pistons trailed by as many as 21 points against Oklahoma City, and a big part of that was due to self-inflicted problems. Detroit’s transition defense wasn’t sharp in the first half. It had a ton of unforced turnovers. The Pistons couldn’t make a free throw. They fell for every pump fake Oklahoma City gave them in the first half. “Discipline” has been a key word for this group. It still has some work to do.

• Sasser scored 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter to help Detroit pull off the comeback win. He was in a position where he was able to create and use the quick crossovers and stop-on-a-dime pull-up jumper that made him such a fun watch in college. In time, Sasser has the skill set to be a productive bench scorer. Thursday night was the second time since Summer League that he looked comfortable being the go-to guy and being assertive in his role.

• After Marvin Bagley III made a strong claim for the backup center spot in the Pistons’ first preseason game, James Wiseman retaliated with a 20-point, 10-rebound, zero-turnover performance in the victory. Wiseman even made some good plays defensively down the stretch, getting a block and deflecting a pass. The Thunder didn’t play with a true center for much of the fourth quarter, but Wiseman did what he was supposed to do in a situation like that and made them pay.

(Photo of Killian Hayes shooting Thursday against the Thunder’s Ousmane Dieng: Eric Bolte / USA Today)