Detroit Pistons: New Year’s resolutions for players, coach and front office

The Detroit Pistons huddle (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
The Detroit Pistons huddle (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
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Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons general manager Troy Weaver (left) and head coach Dwane Casey (right) Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Pistons will enter 2023 on a high note, as they were able to get a nice comeback win on the road against Minnesota to close out the year.

There were some positive signs from the game, particular on the defensive end, so hopefully the win can be a turning point for Detroit when it comes to their defense, which is on the verge of being the worst in team history.

This has been a strange season for Detroit, as they’ve had some promising individual play from guys like Bojan Bogdanovic, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Killian Hayes and Isaiah Stewart, but have not been able to translate individual success into wins.

Losing Cade Cunningham for the season obviously didn’t help, as he is the glue that holds this young team together on both ends, but they also need more from the players that are there, as well as from their coach and front office.

The new year is time for resolutions that most of us won’t keep, but if the Detroit Pistons really want to turn the corner in 2023, they will need everyone to buy in from the front office to the end of the bench.

Here is one New Year’s resolution for the key components of the franchise.

Detroit Pistons: New Year’s resolutions

Troy Weaver: I will build a team

Troy Weaver recently got a contract extension (though it actually happened over the summer), which I think was well deserved. He has transformed this team and given fans some hope with additions of promising young talent.

But now it is time to build an actual team. My only real problem with Weaver’s tenure so far is that he has made a lot to moves that look good in a vacuum, but didn’t really translate into a cohesive roster. I think you can defend just about every move he’s made from a strict transaction perspective (though the Plumlee debacle still baffles me) but he put together a roster that doesn’t really fit together.

Getting shooters like Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks made a lot of sense in a bubble, but little consideration was given to how they would fit with Saddiq Bey. Marvin Bagley III seemed like a value signing, but how does he fit with the other bigs? Was there any plan to overcome the complete lack of defense on the wing? Were roster spots wasted on guys like Hamidou Diallo and Kevin Knox?

Weaver has spent the last few seasons tearing this roster down, but now it is time to build it back up by finding the right complementary players to put around the young core. It’s time to build a roster that makes sense, one with some defenders and guys who have a clear role and thrive in it.

Dwane Casey: I will improve this defense

I doubt the Detroit Pistons will part ways with Dwane Casey during the season, but if this defense doesn’t improve, this should be his final year in the Motor City.

The Pistons are allowing just under 119 points per game, worst in team history, and there have been few signs this is going to change. You can’t put this all on Casey, as this team has few guys who are actually good individual defenders, so building a team defense with Bogdanovic and Bey as your wing options is not easy.

But what he can do is start giving minutes to the guys who are busting their butts on defense, as he did last night in the win over Minnesota. He can continue to try and find units that gel together on the defensive end and reward them with more minutes, even if that means sitting some of the young guys at times.

This is obviously a developmental year so the young guys must get their minutes, but they also need to learn that minutes are earned on the defensive end and that effort will be rewarded. I don’t know if any coach could coax a top-10 defense out of this roster, but what we’ve seen so far has been unacceptable and has to change.