Detroit Pistons: Grading Dwane Casey’s player development
Detroit Pistons: Grading Dwane Casey’s player development
2020-21
Saddiq Bey: C-
Saddiq Bey is a tough one to grade, as he made the All-Rookie 1st team under Casey, but he got worse every season after. He was trying to do too much in Detroit and has been more valuable for Atlanta, where he has figured out his role. The fact that the Pistons were not able to get Bey to play this role with Detroit is a knock on the coaching staff.
It’s likely that we overestimated Bey’s ceiling, but the fact that the Pistons weren’t able to maximize his talents was disappointing.
Hamidou Diallo: B
Diallo found a niche for himself as an energy guy for the Pistons, and Dwane Casey figured out that telling him “don’t shoot unless you are right under the rim” was the best way to get the most out of his talents. Diallo isn’t likely to be back, but will get paid more on his next contract because he got better in Detroit.
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Killian Hayes: D
Hayes did put up career highs this season, so he improved somewhat under Dwane Casey’s tutelage. But he’s still the worst shooter in the NBA. Can you really say that Hayes has improved? He’s still the same guy who can defend and pass but not shoot, still has most of the same issues with assertiveness. I still think Hayes can be a good player in this league, he’s just 21, but it’s hard to argue that he has improved markedly in his three seasons in the league, he just played more.
Frank Jackson: C-
He had one decent year for the Detroit Pistons, then fell off the map and is now in the G-League. That might just be who he is, so I don’t put this one on Casey, but he didn’t build on his one semi-successful season.
Josh Jackson: F
He only played one and a half seasons under Casey, but never got better at anything. Casey and co. weren’t able to get him to stop chucking ill-advised shots, making bad decisions and never really tapped into his defensive capabilities. Now he’s out of the league, another one of Weaver’s busts that stayed a bust.
Saben Lee: C+
Considering Lee’s draft position and ceiling, it did seem that the Detroit Pistons coaxed the most out of his talents in his two seasons under Casey. He didn’t improve much, but he’s a fringe NBA player at best.
Isaiah Stewart: B+
Beef Stew has improved every year under Casey, and is still just 21-years-old. Unlike Bey, the Pistons were able to get Stewart to change roles and adjust on the fly, becoming more of a power forward who launches three-point shots. If Stewart continues to get better at that, it probably extended his career in the NBA and made him a valuable role player. Considering his draft position, he was one of Casey’s bigger success stories.