Detroit Pistons’ Killian Hayes leaves with painful hip injury against Milwaukee Bucks

Omari Sankofa II
 
| Detroit Free Press

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Detroit Pistons rookie Killian Hayes suffered a noncontact injury to his right hip area during the third quarter of Monday’s 125-115 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks. 

With 10:36 left in the third quarter, Hayes had the ball stolen and fell while contesting a transition layup attempt by Jrue Holiday. Hayes winced in pain as he landed on his left thigh, and was unable to immediately stand up as he grabbed his right thigh area. He stayed on the floor in pain, and was attended to by the Pistons’ medical staff. He eventually walked off the court to the locker room.

It isn’t yet clear how severe Hayes’ injury is. He had seven points and an assist before leaving the game with the Pistons trailing by 11.

“He’s going to have an MRI tomorrow, and we’ll find out tomorrow,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said after the game. “They thought it was a hip flexor, but they weren’t sure.”

MORE: Why the Pistons are already playing catch-up this season

The Pistons drafted Hayes to be their point guard of the future with the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft in November. The 19-year-old has struggled offensively to start his NBA career as he transitions from playing in Europe as a teenager. His defense has been a positive. He left a game early last week with a sprained ankle, but returned for the Pistons’ next game.

Entering Monday’s game, Hayes was averaging 4.2 points, four assists and 2.3 turnovers in 22.4 minutes per game through six games. He has not found his shooting stroke, connecting on just 25.6% of his shots (10-for-39) and 23.5% of his 3-pointers (4-for-17). He’s 1-for-2 at the foul line.

The Pistons (1-6) play the Bucks (4-3) again Wednesday in Milwaukee.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.