When Dwane Casey took over as head coach of the Detroit Pistons, they were a middling team trying to get into the playoffs.
Casey got them there in his first season (only to get swept) and that was the last time, as the Pistons quickly pivoted, tore down their roster and started over.
Detroit was rebuilding in the final four years of Casey’s tenure, so his primary duty was developing young players.
Player development is certainly not all on the coach, as some players just aren’t talented enough, aren’t NBA caliber or don’t have the drive to improve and that is on them. But in the end, the coach is partially judged by this, so let’s take a look back at all of the young players coach Casey had in his time with the Detroit Pistons and how their development went under his watch.
For the purposes of this, I’m only choosing players that played significant minutes for the Pistons under Dwane Casey.
Detroit Pistons: Grading Dwane Casey’s player development
2018-19
Bruce Brown: B+
Brown only played two seasons under Casey, but doubled his numbers in that time and turned into a reliable starter. He’s now a valuable role players for the Nuggets, who are building the Pistons 2.0 out of former players.
Henry Ellenson: F
I don’t put this on Casey, as Ellenson was never an NBA player and should have never been drafted. He’s been out of the league since 2020.
Luke Kennard: B
Kennard’s ceiling was never that high, but Casey coaxed his most productive season out of him, and Kennard is now one of the best shooters in the league. This was another case of a guy who was drafted way too high.
Thon Maker: D
Maker played 89 games under Casey and did improve some, but given that he was out of the league a year later, it’s hard to say he really developed. Casey’s fault? Nope. Just another young player with limited ability.
Svi Mykhailiuk: C
Mykhailiuk is still in the league, so for a second-round pick, that’s a success, but he didn’t get any better with the Detroit Pistons and you could even argue that he got worse. He’s still kicking around the league, so there’s that. Dwane Casey was not gifted with much young talent in his first year with the Detroit Pistons, that is for certain.