Killian Hayes’ 10-day contract with the Nets, which was initially agreed to on Feb. 20, expired after the group’s 115-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons final Saturday.
It’s unclear whether or not Hayes will return to the G League. If he showcased sufficient enchancment throughout his quick stint with the Nets, he may nonetheless land with one other NBA group. Brooklyn now has a vacant roster spot after parting methods with Hayes.
Hayes, 23, averaged 9 factors, three rebounds and 5.2 assists in six video games with Brooklyn, together with 5 straight begins after D’Angelo Russell was sidelined due to a proper ankle sprain in a 110-97 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 20 — which additionally occurred to be Hayes’ Nets debut.
Russell, now off the damage report, is anticipated to return to Brooklyn’s beginning lineup in Tuesday’s sport in opposition to the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Financial institution Middle. The Nets are 8-9 with Russell within the lineup this season and went 1-5 with Hayes.
After failing to achieve double figures as a scorer in his first three video games with the Nets, head coach Jordi Fernandez challenged Hayes to be extra aggressive on offense. He responded with 19 factors in opposition to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder on Feb. 26 and 16 factors in opposition to the Portland Path Blazers on Feb. 28. He shot higher than 50% from the sphere and performed greater than half-hour in every sport.
“Is he always going to make them? No. But we need everybody to play with that edge and define who we are, and it was good,” Fernandez mentioned. “The pace was good, the attempts were good, and I was happy with the way he played.”
Hayes, who was drafted No. 7 total by Detroit in 2020, was invited to coaching camp to compete for a roster spot however didn’t play in any preseason video games due to hip soreness. He was then waived and spent most of this season with G League affiliate Lengthy Island, the place he averaged 21 factors, 5.5 rebounds and eight.3 assists throughout 13 begins whereas capturing 49.5% from the sphere and 40.3% from the free throw line. He additionally led the league in steals with 2.8 per sport.
“My goal is to stay in the NBA, make a mark for myself,” Hayes mentioned. “But I think my short-term goals are [to] just be a team player, show what I can do… and just keep going from there. Just helping my teammates, being a great teammate, being a great locker room guy, and just doing what I have to do.”
