Detroit Pistons’ player development under Dwane Casey
Isaiah Stewart
Isaiah Stewart is an undersized center that plays much bigger than he stands. His tenacity on the boards and excellent defensive prowess reminds Dwane Casey of a former Piston and hall of famer; Dennis Rodman. The comparison is certainly compelling, as both players are determined glass cleaners, and both players have had some controversial moments. Isaiah Stewart or “Beef Stew” as he’s also known was drafted as a work in progress, they knew he would take time to be the best he could be.
It didn’t take all that long under Casey for Stew to start to gain a reputation as a tenacious rebounder and a pestering worm down low. Today he is a critical part of the Pistons’ rebuild, and has been called the “heart and soul” of the team.
Stewart is still developing and growing, so the finished product could possibly be a player that we hardly recognize, a player with a consistent corner jumper, and possibly even a passing game. There’s a chance we could even see him average 20+ points for a season with the direction he’s heading. Dwane Casey seems to think these next years are going to turn him into a better player so long as he stays on track.
"“We all want to wave a magic wand over a guy and say ‘You’re going to be this player…’ But it takes time. Luckily, we’re in a rebuilding year and that’s what this year is for. So, guys aren’t now who they’re going to be. It doesn’t happen overnight, but in time…”"
Stewart has improved in each of his three seasons so far and is still just 21-years-old, so we could one day look back and say that he is another very good player that coach Casey helped develop.
Saddiq Bey
Bey is a very talented player, however he is still young and with that comes inconsistency and indecision. He’s been up and down through his 2+ seasons, but Casey believes that Bey will be a star in the league for years to come and he’s been right before.
He says that you almost have to lock Bey out of the gym to keep him from working himself too hard. He’s constantly trying to improve and work ethic like makes a head coach’s job easier.
As Dwane has stated, he’d rather have to slow a player down then to have to constantly work to get them going. Bey has a motor that doesn’t stop, all you have to do as a coach is just channel that energy.
Bey is putting up the best numbers of his career in year three and has improved this shooting efficiency, so while he still has a long way to go, he’s been a minor success story so far with more to come.
Cade Cunningham
The second-year point guard has been exactly what the doctor ordered for the Detroit Pistons. He’s been a big time shot maker, a valuable scorer and a solid floor general. There’s room for improvement, but for the most part he checks all the boxes of a starting NBA point guard and a guy you can build around.
Although the Mock Drafts all said Cade would be the consensus number one overall pick, there’s legitimate evidence that this was who Casey would’ve have pushed the front office to draft even if he wasn’t the consensus guy.
He does everything Casey wants a point guard to do, and has the “it” factor that coaches tend to talk about when discussing young NBA stars. Coach Casey said a few years back that in order to have success in this league you need a star point guard at the helm to be that coach on the floor.
Here’s what coach had to say about his point guard:
"“I think to grow as a team we need that starting point guard. It’s the same in the NFL with the quarterback. You have to have that centerpiece to give the ball to the right position in the right places and be the coach on the floor. Hopefully a guy that it’s natural to that we don’t need to teach to be a point guard”."
He also had this to say:
"I’m biased because I think Cade has played excellent basketball. I still think he is top of the list just because he sees the floor. He is a leader. He has that “it’ factor. Someone asked me who I’ve had like him, (Kyle) Lowry was like that. He had that ‘it’ factor. Close games, he makes big buckets, big plays. He talks in timeouts and in practice so I’m impressed with Cade with that."
Kyle Lowry was another guy that coach Casey helped develop into an All-Star, and he’ll hopefully have that same impact on Cade Cunningham.
Killian Hayes
Hayes has been a disappointment so far under Dwane Casey and not one of his success stories. But the veteran coach has stuck with his guy and tried to build his confidence by keeping him in the rotation and telling him to focus on his defense and passing while in this shooting slump. It’s still too early to know if it will pay off, but coach Casey is doing the right thing by letting Hayes play through his struggles.
Hayes had the best game of the season against Boston, so hopefully that is something he can build on. Even though Hayes hasn’t blown up yet, you have to give Casey credit for recognizing that this is still a rebuilding year and letting his player learn and grow rather than benching him for someone like Cory Joseph.