Knicks Draft: A Scout and non-believer talk Killian Hayes

With the New York Knicks selecting 8th in the NBA Draft, is Killian Hayes the pick for them?

The New York Knicks got the 8th pick. It wasn’t all that unexpected given the odds. And in a reputedly weak draft, it’s not the most disappointing lottery in recent memory. But overall, it still stung a bit to move down. Again.

But, the silver lining: it makes this final installment of our “Scout and Non-Believer” series all the more relevant, because while LaMelo Ball will be long gone by the time the Knicks pick (unless they trade up – Leon, please DO NOT trade up) and Top-10 might be a little too high for Poku, today’s topic of conversation – Killian Hayes – will likely still be there.

Or maybe not? Many scouts have him Tier 1 / Top-3 on their big boards, yet some mocks and mainstream sources have him in the double-digits. Why the discrepancy?

We look one last time to NBA draft expert Spencer Pearlman for our answers.

1. From a pre-lottery B/R piece by Jonathan Wasserman:

"“The No. 2 player on Bleacher Report’s big board isn’t No. 2 for NBA teams. We haven’t talked to any scout that had Killian Hayes that high, with their concerns focused on his burst, shooting, favorable role for putting up stats and Ratiopharm Ulm’s 1-9 record in Eurocup. It’s sounding likely that Hayes will be available to teams picking in the second half of the lottery, as Haliburton appears to be a more popular point guard.”"

Why are those scouts wrong?

SPENCER: I think they’re wrong with “favorable role for putting up stats” and then blaming the record on him. The burst and shooting are fair concerns, but there are easy push-backs there, too.

First, the shooting: his footwork on off-the-bounce jumpers is perfect, so while he doesn’t attack the rim going right, he’s a big threat off the dribble, unlike someone like Haliburton who doesn’t attack and doesn’t have an off-the-bounce game. Flowing from that, his touch is good, his form is solid, and he’s a great FT shooter – his issue with C&S is just about footwork. Hammer those reps with good footwork, and the C&S numbers should improve. He won’t be a movement shooter, but I’d bet hard he won’t be a bad shooter in the NBA.

Second, the burst: he’s one of the youngest players in the class and made really nice athletic improvements over the past year, so there’s no reason to think it won’t continue. He plays with good pace, has acceleration/deceleration down well, and uses angles well. There are ways around not having elite burst, and Hayes’ has those tools that make up for it.