Detroit Pistons: Advantages of hiring Dwane Casey as head coach

With the news that the Detroit Pistons have hired Dwane Casey, here’s a look at the advantages Motown’s new head coach brings to the table.

After four years of mediocre basketball and underachievement, the Detroit Pistons decided to part ways with Stan Van Gundy. There were obvious reasons for the firing, such as Van Gundy’s 152-176 regular season record. He had one playoff appearance in 2015-16, which resulted in a 4-0 sweep to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

However, I believe the main reason for Van Gundy’s firing was his inability to develop talent.

Enter Dwane Casey, whom the Pistons signed to a five-year deal.  Casey is a front-runner for NBA Coach of the Year, and is the current NBCA Coach of the Year.  He was fired from his head coaching position with the Toronto Raptors on May 11, in a decision team president Masai Ujiri told reporters was “the hardest thing I’ve done in my life.”

A popular coach among his players, Casey is the ideal head coach for this Pistons roster. He possesses the ability to transform seemingly average players into All-Stars. Point guard Kyle Lowry was warming the bench in Memphis from 2006-09.  He had limited success afterwards in his four seasons with the Houston Rockets. He joined the Raptors in 2012, and after two years under Casey’s tutelage, he became a four-time All-Star.

DeMar DeRozan is another player who blossomed under Casey’s leadership. The Raptors’ first round draft pick in 2009 averaged 12.9 points and 1.3 assists per game during his first two NBA seasons. After Dwane Casey joined the Raptors for the 2011-12 season, DeRozan has averaged 21.6 points and 3.6 assists per game.  As a result, DeRozan joined Lowry in becoming a four-time All-Star.

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Dwane Casey also has a proven track record of success in the NBA. In his seven seasons in Toronto, Casey had a record of 320-238. He transformed the previously struggling Raptors into an Eastern Conference powerhouse, leading them to five straight playoff appearances. He led the Raptors to the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals as well.

His success in Toronto is largely due to his ability to get his players to defend. During his first two seasons in Toronto, the team was near the bottom of the league defensively. However, during the past three seasons, Toronto has finished no worse than 11th defensively and were No. 5 in 2017-18.

For those that believe Dwane Casey’s success in Toronto was only because of a talented roster, there’s evidence that suggests otherwise. According to ESPN, Toronto exceeded its preseason Real Plus-Minus (RPM) projection in six of seven seasons under Casey. They exceeded the projection by 10 wins twice, including this past season. Clearly Casey has the ability to push his players to achieve their maximum potential.

In Detroit, Casey inherits an All-Star in Blake Griffin to build around. He will also be able to work to improve the defensive skills of Andre Drummond. He could turn guard Reggie Jackson into an All-Star like he did with Lowry and DeRozan.

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The addition of Casey’s leadership and talent development skills will turn the Pistons into a playoff team in 2018-19.  A couple of years under his advisement, and some added pieces along the way, the Pistons could once again become championship contenders.