The Detroit Pistons finished their 2022-23 season with the worst record in the league, so it wasn’t completely surprising when Dwane Casey announced that he’d be moving to a front office position.
Casey didn’t waste any time and there are already names surfacing for possible replacements.
This will arguably be the biggest decision of Troy Weaver’s tenure, as he inherited coach Casey and will now have a chance to get his guy and put more of his own stamp on the team. If he gets it right and the rebuild continues as planned, Weaver looks like a genius, if not, it could cost him his job, so he needs to get this hire right.
There are a number of known names circulating as well as others that fans might not be as familiar with, so it wouldn’t be shocking if Weaver went with an outside-the-box hire of someone most fans have never heard of.
Some gambling sites have odds on who the next Pistons’ head coach will be and some of the names might surprise you.
Odds for Detroit Pistons’ next head coach
According to SportsBetting.ag, the top-5 odds for the next Pistons’ head coach are:
- Charles Lee 3-1
- Kenny Atkinson 4-1
- Jerry Stackhouse 5-1
- Ime Udoka 6-1
- Jay Wright 7-1
As you can see, Bucks’ assistant Charles Lee is currently the frontrunner according to the oddsmakers, which makes sense. Weaver will likely be looking for a coach to improve the team’s woeful defense and Lee has been a part of one of the best defenses in the league in Milwaukee.
I’m a big fan of Lee, as he is considered to be a very smart basketball mind who has played all over the world. He’s also had experience under a great head coach on a team that is effectively using two bigs, something the Pistons are apparently attempting.
Udoka seems to be the fan favorite, though he is a controversial choice given how his time played out in Boston.
Jay Wright seems like a long shot given he’s only ever coached in the NCAA, Atkinson is named every time there is an opening as a successful assistant who has also won as a head coach. Jerry Stackhouse has paid his dues in the G-League and now as the head coach of Vanderbilt, where he won SEC coach of the year.
Current Detroit Pistons’ assistant Rex Kalamian is next on the list at 8-1, but don’t be surprised if he is ultimately the guy. He and Weaver have a tight relationship and he’s been a hot name on the coaching market for other teams as well.