How to Guard Killian Hayes
Killian does most of his damage from three-point (45.7% of his attempts) and is a limited outside shooter you can sag off. The plan below is built from where he actually shoots this season.
Where Killian scores
Share of his 2025-26 field-goal attempts by zone, with how efficiently he finishes each. This is the map the game plan is built on.
The scouting report: how to defend Killian
Go under screens, sag into the paint
He is a lower-volume or below-average outside shooter (27% on 63 attempts). You can go under ball screens and sink into the paint to take away the drive and dare him to settle for the jumper.
Get Killian's full matchup plan
The page above is the shot profile. HoopBrief turns it into a complete game plan, the exact coverage to run, on-ball positioning by spot, whistle tendencies, and the one counter to deny, in your own coaching lens.
Frequently asked questions
How do you guard Killian Hayes?
Go under screens, sag into the paint: He is a lower-volume or below-average outside shooter (27% on 63 attempts). You can go under ball screens and sink into the paint to take away the drive and dare him to settle for the jumper.
What is Killian Hayes's biggest weakness on offense?
Relative to the rest of his shot diet, Killian is least efficient on his mid-range attempts (15.4% on 26 shots this season). Steering him toward that shot, rather than the ones he makes at a high rate, is the statistical edge.
Is Killian Hayes a good three-point shooter?
Killian has taken 63 three-pointers this season and made 17 of them (27%). That share of his offense (45.7% of his attempts) is what decides whether you chase him over screens or sag under them.
How many points per game does Killian Hayes average?
Killian is averaging 5.5 points per game this season, along with 3.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds. Scoring volume is why he draws the defensive game plan on this page.
How to guard other players
Shot-profile and box-score figures reflect Killian Hayes's 2025-26 season. Defensive recommendations are generated from that shot distribution and are teaching guidance, not a guarantee of outcome.