Player development grades for Dwane Casey and the Pistons
Detroit Pistons: Player development grades for Dwane Casey
Saddiq and Beef Stew
The two most interesting cases of player development involved second-year players Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart, who took opposite approaches to improvement.
Saddiq Bey: B
The Pistons came into this season wanting more from Saddiq Bey and they got it, as he improved all of his traditional stats and showed he can be a second scoring option for the future. Bey improved his all-around game, there is no doubt, but I do wonder if it came at the expense of the thing he already did very well, which was shoot the 3-point shot.
Bey’s shooting numbers dipped across the board and his season didn’t really turn around from the early slump until he started shooting more 3-point shots again.
On one hand, this was the perfect season for Dwane Casey to allow Bey to experiment and add to his game, as winning was not the top priority. The counter-argument is that Bey should have focused on building an elite skill before trying to add more to his game.
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I can see both sides, but overall I think Dwane Casey and the Pistons did a good job with Bey this season, now they just need to focus on consistency.
Isaiah Stewart: B+
I think a lot of fans would reverse these grades for Casey and I could understand why, but I really liked the way Detroit handled Beef Stew this season.
Unlike Bey, the Pistons asked Stewart to truncate his game, to focus on defense and rebounding and not worry about shooting 3-point shots.
You could argue that this stunted his growth as an offensive player, and when you saw Stewart hitting a high percentage on 3-point shots suddenly at the end of the season, it makes sense.
The counter argument is that this approach allowed Stewart to improve defensively, to focus on being that anchor, which is ultimately what his role will be in the NBA. Stewart is already one of the best centers in the league when it comes to switching on the perimeter and he was 5th in the NBA overall in contested shots this season.
I liked Dwane Casey’s approach, as it simplified the game for Stewart and allowed him to focus on the things he does well.