Detroit Pistons: Why John Beilein was a great hire for the Pistons

Last night news broke that the Detroit Pistons were hiring former University of Michigan and Cleveland Cavaliers head coach John Beilein as director of player development.

As a rebuilding team with a lot of young players and more coming in the 2021 NBA Draft, this is actually a key position that could help the team push forward with its rebuild.

The Detroit Pistons got impact rookie seasons from Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart and both Killian Hayes and Saben Lee also showed promise from last year’s draft.

The Pistons will also likely have 22-year-old Hamidou Diallo and Frank Jackson, as well as 20-year-old Sekou Doumbouya so Troy Weaver knows in-house improvements, not free agency, are the way to build with such a young group.

That’s why John Beilein was a great hire.

Detroit Pistons: Player development is where John Beilein excels

First off, Beilein was not hired as the head coach, so fans need to relax. Yes, Beilein flamed out in Cleveland after saying some dumb stuff in the media and no his coaching style was not suited for the NBA.

Good thing he is not going to be the coach, huh?

Instead, Beilein will focus on what he has always been good at, which is developing young talent into solid NBA basketball players.

Beilein had success at smaller schools like Canisius, Richmond and eventually West Virginia, taking those schools to post-season tournaments.

You don’t win at a small school unless you are good at developing talent, as places like Canisius and Richmond are never going to get the blue-chippers.

Even the University of Michigan was in dire straits when Beilein took over, mired in a scandal with empty cupboards and no recent success.

Beilein changed that quickly and eventually let the Wolverines to two title games while producing a steady stream of NBA players.

Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson are just a few of the Wolverines Beilein helped turn into productive NBA players.

Troy Weaver has an eye for under appreciated talent that extends beyond just players, as he found a gem in Beilein, who is perfect for the job of developing young players.