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.
Detroit Pistons: Grading Dwane Casey’s player development
2019-20
Sekou Doumbouya: F
Is there a grade lower than F? Sekou ended as one of the larger draft busts in recent Pistons’ history. After showing some raw promise in his rookie season, Doumbouya got worse in pretty much every facet of the game. He was out of the league shortly after his time with the Pistons and now can’t even get off the bench in the G-League. If you want to know why Detroit is still terrible, missing on all of these draft picks is a big reason why, as some of these guys should just be hitting their stride and are instead out of the league.
Christian Wood: B
Wood came out of nowhere and had a very good season for the Pistons in his one year under Casey, good enough that they were able to then use him as trade bait. You can argue whether that trade actually worked out for Detroit, but you can’t argue that he improved under Casey and has continued to improve since.
He’s now a guy who could get a max deal (or close) this summer and the Detroit Pistons deserve some credit for being the first team to give him a real shot.
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.
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.
Detroit Pistons: Grading Dwane Casey’s player development
2021-22
Isaiah Livers: Incomplete
It’s hard to grade this one, as Livers was injured too much to really judge if he improved. His numbers didn’t, but I put that more in the injuries than on Dwane Casey. Considering he was a second-round pick, the fact that he played at all is a positive and his trajectory still points upwards if he can stay on the court.
Cade Cunningham: A-
Even though he only played one full season under Casey, Cade Cunningham improved noticeably in a few areas. Cunningham improved his decision-making, reduced his turnovers, and stopped trying to launch so many 3-point shots, instead focusing on the mid-range, where he is deadly. All signs pointed towards him having a breakout season before he was injured. Cunningham is the most talented young player Casey coached and I am sure he wishes he’d gotten another season to help him progress.
2022-23
Jalen Duren: A
Funny how the highest grades end up going to the most talented players. It’s almost as if they are adults who shouldn’t need a coach to baby them or teach them the basics of basketball when playing professionally in the best league on the planet. Funny that.
But Duren was the league’s youngest player this season and not expected to contribute much. Instead, he emerged as their best big man and improved all season. He’s likely to end up on the All-Rookie team and coach Casey helped him get there.
Jaden Ivey: A
I’d argue that Ivey improved more than any rookie not named Jalen Williams this season. He just kept getting better, improving his shot selection, his efficiency and even progressed some on defense.
Casey deserves credit for rolling with the rookie all season, boosting his confidence and working with him in the film room to help him improve.
As you can see, Dwane Casey’s time with the Detroit Pistons was up and down in terms of player development, but he did get the most out of several role players and did well when he had real talent to work with.