Report: Killian Hayes could be sidelined only 4-6 weeks if no surgery is needed on torn hip labrum

Detroit Pistons point guard could miss as little as 4-6 weeks if surgery is not needed on his torn hip labrum, according to sources who have spoken with Yahoo’s Vincent Goowill.

Goodwill, a Detroit native who used to cover the team exclusively still has close connections to the organization, so I trust any sources he is connected with as much as anyone.

Those sources have told Goodwill that there is no apparent structural or vascular damage and dotors who have examined Hayes believe he’ll fully recover with rehab. Surgery is still on the table, and if Hayes does end up having surgery he’d miss the rest of the season with something close to a six-month recovery and rehab timetable.

The Pistons are reportedly sending Hayes to a specialist to determine the most appropriate course of action, Goodwill writes.

Considering the calendar, the team might opt to see how he responds to traditional rehab first considering a one-month delay wouldn’t materially impact his ability to recover in the offseason with an eye on being ready for the 2021-22 NBA season.

Hayes missing only a month and a half would be great news for Hayes and the organization, but it’d be great news for the Pistons fan base who were starting to wonder about a point guard curse in Motown.

Since the team traded away Chauncey Billups in 2008, Pistons point guards seem to suffer from significant injuries from Rodney Stuckey to Brandon Knight to Brandon Jennings to Reggie Jackson.

Hayes was finally supposed to be the point guard of the future. He has struggled mightily on offense in his first handful of NBA games, but the 19-year-old prospect has shown quality passing, vision and defensive instincts.

To make matters worse, the most significant recent torn hip labrum in the NBA was Isaiah Thomas’ injury as a member of the Boston Celtics. Thomas bravely played through the injury in the playoffs while dealing with a personal family tragedy.

He had a setback many blamed on rushing himself back onto the floor and had a cascading series of related health issues and never looked the same while Boston traded him shorly after. Now he’s trying to fight his way back into the league.

That being said, there is absolutely no reason the Pistons should rush Hayes back onto the floor this season. Detroit is terrible and you don’t want to risk injury for the sake of development because a recurrence of hip issues would set him back much further than simply being patient and waiting for him to be fully healed.

We will bring you more as this develops.