Killian Hayes' trainer: 'Not a lot of point guards can pass the ball like he can'

Tyshawn Patterson, who works with Hayes on skill development, breaks down the 19-year-old French prospect.

With about a month remaining until the NBA Draft, Valley Tales will publish a series of profiles on prospects that could be a fit for the Suns, featuring exclusive interviews with a college coach or personal trainer. 

These are the people who discovered and recruited these players, who were around them every day, who observed their development into a potential lottery pick. Sure, these coaches/trainers want to support their guy, but I also generally found them to be honest about where their player needed to improve to have a successful NBA career. 

Killian Hayes is an intriguing point-guard prospect because of his passing ability and defensive potential. The 19-year-old Frenchman has already been playing professionally overseas, most recently for Ulm in Germany. Tyshawn Patterson, an Orlando-based skills development trainer, has been working with Hayes for nearly three years. 

These responses are edited slightly for length and clarity. 

First impression

Sixteen-year-old Killian, that was his first year of playing professionally. So he had the professional demeanor, but he also knew that there was a lot of things that he wanted to get better at. He was still a kid trying to figure it out, whether it was shooting technique or ballhandling drills. … I’ve seen him grow up. I’ve seen him mature. The main thing for a kid at his age is realizing that they have to get better, and what it is exactly that they have to get better at. So I’ve watched him pinpoint things that he knows he has to get better at, and attack those weaknesses. It’s been pretty (cool) to watch every day, every week, him grow and get better. His determination is like no other kid. From 16 to 19, to where he’s at now, it’s been a huge upside and elevation from where he started. 

Strengths

Where he’s really gonna stand out in the NBA is the court is so much bigger and (has) so much more space than playing overseas. And there’s no three seconds in the key (violation). You can sit in the paint. He’s gonna have more space to get guys the ball (in the NBA). He can really pass the basketball, and that’s what’s gonna separate him from a lot of other point guards, whether in the draft or in the league right now. His feel for the game is real good, and it’s only gonna get better. Not a lot of point guards can pass the ball like he can. You see the game today, it’s a lot of scoring point guards. You’ve got Donovan Mitchell. You’ve got James Harden. You’ve got Russell Westbrook, who likes to score. But Killian’s different. He really likes to pass. He can score, but he really can pass. I think that’s what a lot of teams are missing, the pass-first point guard. But he can also make the midrange pull-up, which is a lost art in the game now. That’s really a part of his game. And he’s been improving drastically on his 3-point shot. He’s a kid that tries to figure out his technique, and once he continues to grow and get better and improve his range and his shooting, I think he’s really gonna be hard to guard at the next level — especially within the next year or two years as he gets that feel for the (NBA). 

Biggest improvement over past three years

As he got older, from 16 to 17, he got stronger. He got smarter. He got faster with certain things. He started picking up on concepts a lot faster. From 17 to 18, the same thing. He picked them up a little bit faster. He’s a kid that picks up things real fast. He’s probably one of the hardest guys to continue to keep workouts coming, because he picks up things so quickly and then he tries to master them so fast. … From last summer to this summer, he took a big jump when it comes to picking up concepts better. I can show him a drill one time and he’s like, “OK, I got it.” Maybe three times max, and he has it. Whether it’s a ball manipulation combo series or it’s a shooting series, I just have to explain it to him once or twice and he gets it. I have to take into consideration he’s 18 or 19 years old now. Even when he was 16 or 17, I didn’t have to explain a lot to him, and that’s special. That means he can pick up. When he plays basketball, he’ll be able to read the defensive quicker. He’ll be able to make offensive adjustments quicker. And that’s why he can pass the ball so good in the pick and roll, because he can make adjustments on the fly. That’s what he’s really, really special at that I believe the NBA is gonna see soon. That’s gonna set him apart for many years. 

First thing he would show someone unfamiliar with Hayes’ game

The main thing I would show people is pick-and-roll ability. It was (ESPN’S) Mike Schmitz that did a great breakdown on him, and you can see his passing ability when he was playing at 18 years old. That’s the special part. Whether it’s coming off the pick and going to the left and making a cross-screen pass all the way to the right corner, or going to his right and throwing the lob to the big man, he can just really read the pick and roll.

Underrated trait

He’s a strong kid. His defense is talked about a lot. He can really sit down and lock in. He’s extremely crafty. He has great footwork. As a lefty, a lot of guys aren’t used to guarding left-handed guards. He’s very shifty and he has great footwork. 

Next developmental step

As the skill coach, one of our main targets was shooting. Just mentally locking in and just making 3-pointers consistently. If a guard goes under (the screen), having the confidence to knock it down. He has all the attributes, all the techniques. Now, it’s just having the confidence to knock down those shots eight out of 10 times. Seven out of 10, at a minimum. That’s just the main focus for us. I really think he has all the other attributes. I think he’s gonna get better, especially playing in the best league in the world, as he gets older with reps and experience with the best players in the world. It’s just that mental confidence, just knocking down those shots time after time after time — whether it’s an open 3, a catch-and-shoot or coming off a screen and the guard goes under. 

Ideal NBA fit

Honestly, because I believe he’s so versatile, I think he can play in a run-and-gun system and really get guys the ball that are running the wing or running to the deep corner. If he plays in a system like the Spurs’, he would be really good (with) lot of ball movement. The reason behind that is because he can really pass the ball. The only reason I say those two types of systems is because, if I told you to think of a pass-first point guard right now in the NBA, it’s not that big of a list. I believe that’s really gonna help him stand out, and I believe that’s what’s gonna help Killian be able to adjust on any team that he plays for. He could go play for a Spurs-type of team, or a run-and-gun type of team that shoots a lot of 3s like the Warriors. You can’t really pick your poison with him, because I think he’s that talented of a passer. He can help any team. 

Personality

He’s a great guy. He’s still a kid. He’s adjusting. He likes to do things that 18- and 19-year-olds like to do. He plays video games. We went bowling (a few nights ago). We’ll go to amusement parks. Ride dirt bikes and ATVs. He’s very adventurous. The main thing is work out, eat food and play video games. He’s very easygoing. He has a great personality. He’s not, like, the loud, energetic kid. But he’s the quiet leader. He’s soft-spoken. He’s quiet. He’ll get his point across. We’ll work, and then we’ll get out of the gym. He comes to work and he does his job very well. And then he goes home, and we come back and we do it the next day. If he doesn’t complete something, he’s ready to come back the next day and go at it a little bit harder. He’s a very determined kid, and he’s gonna be very special in the NBA. 

More Suns draft prospect profiles

Tyrese Haliburton (with Iowa State assistant Daniyal Robinson)
Desmond Bane (with TCU assistant Ryan Miller)