How Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose will help Detroit Pistons avoid becoming ‘Process Sixers’

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After being drafted by the Detroit Pistons, Saddiq Bey flew out to Los Angeles to work out with Blake Griffin. They’re both represented by Excel Sports Management, and Bey wanted to get a head start on developing his relationship with Griffin — who, in turn, was happy to host the rookie and help him with his game.

Two weeks later during training camp, Derrick Rose also began mentoring Detroit’s rookies. He has been pushing Killian Hayes during practices to help him adjust to NBA competition, and acknowledged Hayes is the future of the franchise.

Rookie center Isaiah Stewart said he has been seeking Rose’s advice too.

“He’s great,” Stewart said recently. “He goes out of the way to help us rooks out and make sure we’re trying to do everything right.”

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Rose, who is 32 years old, and Griffin, 31, are two of the Pistons’ elder statesmen. They’re also the most accomplished players on the roster by a wide margin, each possessing multiple All-Star and All-NBA berths, and a list of other notable accomplishments.

They’re also the best players on the roster that, after an offseason that brought an influx of young talent and new faces, appears to be a ways off from contending for an NBA championship. But even as they near the ends of their respective primes, they’ve been vocal in embracing their mentorship roles through training camp and preseason.

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Their presence has become a core part of the Pistons’ rebuilding strategy. General manager Troy Weaver made a point to add veterans to the roster in free agency, opening his wallet to bring in Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee, and augmenting their presence with a series of cheaper signings and smaller trades that brought in Jahlil Okafor, Wayne Ellington, Delon Wright and Rodney McGruder.

But Griffin and Rose are the leaders on the team, and for head coach Dwane Casey, it has made his job easier to have two potential future Hall of Famers that the rest of the roster can fall in line behind.

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“We’re being sensible about our program, of building what we’re building,” Casey said. “It’s a process. It’s not going to happen overnight. They’re professional enough to understand, and they’re comfortable with who they are and what they are. It’s not like they’re fighting for something or grabbing for star status, because they’ve been there. They’ve seen everything. They’ve done everything.”

Casey added their contributions in the locker room and during practices are as important as the points they’ll score, if not more.

“Their legacy will be about what they contributed to help build the Detroit Pistons back to a championship level, and they’re going to be a big part of that foundation in the way they carry themselves, the professionalism that they show is so important — probably more than averaging 25 points per game,” he said.

The Pistons were deliberate in avoiding a full roster tear-down. Rather than embracing the infamous Philadelphia 76ers “Process” approach of aggressively tanking by sticking with a young, inexperienced roster guaranteed to win fewer than 20 games each season, Detroit wants to surround its young talent with players who understand how to win, and can help them learn winning habits. Bad habits are hard to unlearn, Casey said, and they don’t want to tread that path.

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It’ll certainly help that through two preseason games, Griffin appears to be healthy. He has been Detroit’s best playmaker and aggressive on offense. Rose has also been an effective scorer off of the bench, as he was last season.

If Griffin plays at an All-Star level during the season, the Pistons likely won’t see as many double-digit losses as they did at the end of last season.

“Our philosophy is to build up with the young guys plus some veteran mentors, teachers, guys who are productive and very good players,” Casey said. “Our veterans have done an excellent job of teaching, showing the young guys what to do, how to do it, demonstrating it by their actions and their habits in practice. For me, that’s how I know how to build a situation, build a team.”

Rose and Griffin have been protective of Detroit’s rookies this week, noting they haven’t had the same advantages most rookies have during a normal year. They’re playing NBA games without the benefit of summer league and an extended training camp.

Griffin addressed the media after Sunday’s win, and Rose after Friday’s loss. They were happy to talk about the performances of the younger players on the roster, and praised them for finding ways to contribute, despite a difficult circumstance.

“These guys are the future of this franchise,” Griffin said. “Derrick and I talk about all the time, it’s our job to bring them along. I was just proud of how they all played tonight.”

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.