Pistons: 3 takeaways from a huge NBA draft lottery win

Takeaway No. 3 from the Pistons NBA draft lottery win: Dwane Casey gets another young prospect to work with

Pistons head coach Dwane Casey didn’t know what he was getting himself into when he was hired in the summer of 2018. The organization had just made a desperate and reckless trade for Blake Griffin at the previous trade deadline, and had Reggie Jackson, Andre Drummond, Luke Kennard and some other mildly interesting pieces.

Coming off a great run with the Toronto Raptors (LeBron James encounters in the NBA playoffs aside), Casey likely expected that the bulk of his five-year contract with the Pistons would involve playoff runs and plenty of veterans to collaborate with.

Instead, Blake Griffin and Reggie Jackson got bought out, Andre Drummond was traded for peanuts (a great return, it turns out), Kennard was traded in a multi-team deal that yielded the draft pick used to select Saddiq Bey. Rather than working with a veteran squad with a one or two-win ceiling in the NBA playoffs, Casey has made his mark in player development and seen nearly across-the-board improvement in every young player he’s gotten his hands on.

Cade Cunningham, if he’s the selection, has the highest floor of any player he’s worked with in Detroit, so it’s going to be interesting to see how Casey is able to elevate his game. But after helping turn players like Bruce Brown into something special, Casey is going to be delighted to have the task of working with a true blue-chipper like Cunningham.