Yahoo Finance Report: Detroit Pistons rookie Killian Hayes suffers torn hip labrum
News of Detroit Pistons rookie Killian Hayes’ injury is not what the team had hoped. The No. 7 overall pick in last year’s NBA draft has torn the labrum in his right hip, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Hayes suffered the injury in the third quarter of Monday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. He was stripped by Bucks guard Jrue Holiday and fell awkwardly underneath the basket unsuccessfully defending in transition.
Oh no. Killian Hayes is down and holding his thigh. Had a bit of an awkward fall trying to defend this fast break. #Pistons pic.twitter.com/CUGGCDOL2O
— Jonathan Deutsch (@JonathanD_TV) January 5, 2021
Hayes, Detroit’s starting point guard, left the seventh game of his career after just 13:24 of game action. The promising 19-year-old French floor general was averaging 4.6 points and 3.6 assists in 21.1 minutes a night.
Video appeared to show Hayes telling trainers he felt a “pop” as they attended to him on the floor. Detroit coach Dwane Casey offered some optimism in the aftermath of Monday’s 125-115 loss, telling reporters, “They thought it was the hip flexor, but they weren’t sure.” An MRI on Hayes’ hip was scheduled for Tuesday, when the Pistons listed him as doubtful with the injury for Wednesday’s rematch with the Bucks.
The injury is a devastating blow for the Pistons, whose 1-6 record ranks them last in the NBA. The history of hip labrum tears is not encouraging, especially for point guards. The injury directly led to career downfalls of former No. 6 overall pick Jonny Flynn at age 21 and All-NBA star Isaiah Thomas at age 28. All Detroit can do is hope the young Hayes can still reach his potential following what is expected to be a lengthy recovery.
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Ben Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
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