With the Detroit Pistons now entering a rebuild, the pressure is off Dwane Casey to win now, and that’s a good thing.
When Dwane Casey was brought on to become the next head coach of the Detroit Pistons nearly two years ago, the expectation was that he’d be able to get the team over the hump and turn them into a legitimate playoff threat.
No one was necessarily expecting title contention, but the chance at winning one or two playoff series felt like it could be in play if the right roster was constructed.
The former Coach of the Year had turned the Toronto Raptors into a title contender and the season after he was fired, Toronto went on to win the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, the Pistons found themselves out in the first round at the hands of the Bucks.
For the fans, it felt like a foundational season. Setting the blueprint for future success and building a culture that the players could buy into. The players and staff even addressed it as such.
Heading into the most recent season, expectations were slightly higher after the additions of Derrick Rose and Markieff Morris. At the time, no one knew how much of an impact Christian Wood would bring to the table, but he was exciting as well.
Unfortunately however, the same thing that temporarily derailed the previous season proved to be the biggest detriment to this one; injuries. Seemingly every name on the roster top to bottom suffered some sort of an injury that caused them to miss time.
Most notably, Reggie Jackson missing three months of the season, Blake Griffin undergoing season ending surgery, and Luke Kennard suffering bilateral knee tendinitis that he never recovered from. (Though he would have if the season wasn’t cancelled)
Once the Pistons realized the situation that they were in, the decided to call an audible and commit to a direction that was long overdue; a rebuild. Senior Adviser Ed Stefanski cited the Andre Drummond trade as the first real move that indicated the direction.
Following that came the buyouts of Jackson and Morris, who each landed on title contending teams within days of their departure from Detroit.
Rolling out lineups that we never imagined seeing this season for the “final” month of the season, the Pistons’ infusion of youth was both stressful and encouraging to see.
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As we head into the unknown with the current landscape of the league, regardless of a decision to potentially resume play, it won’t effect Detroit too much other than to solidify their draft position.
Whenever the draft arrives, whenever free agency arrives, that’s when we’ll begin to see what this front office can do with a rebuild.
Once next season rolls around, the pressure will be completely lifted off of Casey’s shoulders to try to make a playoff push. If it happens, it happens. But ultimately the goal here will be to continue develop the young assets that they have.
One silver lining to an otherwise bleak season, was that seemingly every single player on the roster got better this season. Those who were able to actually play in extended stretches that is.
At the very least, we saw glimpses of promise from certain players like Thon Maker, who still has a ways to go with his productivity, but the week following the Drummond trade played as well as he as with Detroit.
Allowing Casey to take a step back and prioritize the youth around him is something that fans should be excited about. They may not win a lot of games for the foreseeable future, but if nothing else we’ll get to see their young core improve on a nightly basis.
We’re still waiting for that player who can be the clear cut favorite to lead this team in the future, but maybe they’ll arrive in the draft.