Pistons’ Killian Hayes excited to team up with Derrick Rose


Pistons’ Killian Hayes excited to team up with Derrick Rose
Killian Hayes and Derrick Rose

The Detroit Pistons entered the NBA Draft with NO.7 pick and had already identified they top rated players. Staying true to their scouting resulting, they acquired Killian Hayes. The youngster is shared his excitement to play alongside former MVP Derrick Rose. Though Hayes played last season in Germany for Ratiopharm Ulm, he’s not an unknown quantity.  

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Weaver, who then was an assistant general manager with the Oklahoma City Thunder, already had done his scouting work and was very familiar with Hayes. Pairing up with veteran Derrick Rose could be an asset if they work well, offensively as well as defensively. Given that Hayes is at least 3-4 inches taller than Rose. 

“I’ve been watching Killian play since he was 16. I was able to go over and see him this year before the pandemic hit,” Weaver said Wednesday during a teleconference introducing the Pistons’ four draft picks. “I was fortunate to do my work early — good scouts do their work early — so I was fortunate to see him this year. I’ve been watching him play since he was 16, so he wasn’t new to me or to the draft board. I’m very excited about Killian coming here to Detroit.” 

“I’m Really excited to play with D.Rose” Killian Hayes 

Derrick Rose won the MVP award in 2011 playing for Chicago Bulls

Talking first about Rose, his problem has been with playing extra game time which causes injuries. With a young player in the roster, if all goes well, Rose could be used in the most appropriate way.  

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For Hayes, it’s an opportunity to be mentored by one of the best point guards in the game. Rose is entering the final year of his contract, so it’s possible that he could be traded before the deadline, which puts more of a premium on learning a lot in a short time span. 

“I’m really excited to play with D-Rose, being able to learn from him, compete against him at practice. It’s a great opportunity for me to get better and to learn really early,” Hayes said as per Detroit News. “Without any Summer League or anything, the season is going to come really quick, so being able to learn from this guy is really a blessing. I think we all grew up kind of watching Derrick Rose. It’s definitely going to be cool being with him.” 

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