| The Detroit News
As the Pistons get set to tip off the 2020-21 season, they have a much different look than at the start and end of last season.
Mainstays Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson were gone before the season halted in March. Two of the younger building blocks, Luke Kennard and Bruce Brown, also are gone, as is Christian Wood, who looked to be another piece to expand the core.
When new general manager Troy Weaver arrived in the summer, he attacked a roster rebuild like Daenerys Targaryen and the fire-breathing Drogon in “Game of Thrones.” When the smoke cleared, there were only four returning players remaining: Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, Sekou Doumbouya and Svi Mykhailiuk.
That’s two players in their 30s and two under 24. The Pistons then added three first-round draft picks to the mix and filled out the roster with a mix of veterans and young prospects to open the season.
It’s not that Pistons are aiming to devolve into some zombie-like sleepwalk through this season. That would be somewhat understandable, given that they haven’t played a meaningful game in more than nine months — and given the moves that other teams in the Eastern Conference have made, there’s still no clear pathway to the playoffs.
The direction isn’t quite like “The Process” from the Philadelphia 76ers years ago or the rebuild-on-the-fly strategy of former coach Stan Van Gundy. Weaver, with buy-in from coach Dwane Casey and team owner Tom Gores, has made an intriguing mix of rookies and veterans that will take time to jell but also could provide the foundation for a rebuild.
Call it “Trust the Prospects” — at least for now.
More: Jerami Grant’s uncanny 3-point shooting could prove his calling card for Pistons
As much of the core of the rebuild is centered on Killian Hayes, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, Doumbouya and Mykhailiuk, it also hinges greatly on Griffin, Rose, Jerami Grant, Mason Plumlee and the vets.
Weaver and Casey have made sure to create a bridge between throwing the young players into the deep end immediately and giving them time to grow into bigger roles. That path worked for Casey in building the Toronto Raptors to prominence and it’s one he’s looking to continue with these Pistons.
“There’s two different ways to rebuild. We took the lesser of the two routes,” Casey said. “Some teams tear it down to play all rookies and my philosophy — and Troy’s and Tom’s — is if you tear it all the way down and then try to do that, it’s years and years before you build it back up because those rookies are learning bad work habits and bad winning habits, and it’s hard to get that out of your locker room.
“So, our philosophy is to build up with the young guys, plus some veteran teachers and mentors, guys who still are productive and very good players, where they can help.”
In the preseason opener, Hayes had seven turnovers, but Casey worked to quickly rein that in. He used Delon Wright to take some of the ball-handling responsibilities so that Hayes could get more comfortable and adjust to the pace of the game around him.
It’s part of understanding the transition that rookies go through and not giving them more than they can handle in a short amount of time. Last season, Doumbouya had a couple of weeks of success and suddenly fizzled toward the end of the season. The Pistons seem to be doing more to ensure that each rookie has a veteran mentor to prevent that from happening again.
“I think we have a solid amount of guys who played some meaningful basketball,” Griffin said. “Our vets have done a great job of kind of having their hand on everybody a little bit and making sure that any young guy, anybody who’s confused and needs some help has that.”
In free agency, Weaver sought a big target and got Grant for three years and $60 million. That’s a significant payout for a rebuilding team, but beyond the leader by example that Grant can be, the on-court production is necessary to fill in some of the gaps left by the other moves. There’s no guarantee that Griffin can return to his All-NBA production of two years ago and Grant, at 26, can be a building block to some short-term success.
More: Beard: Pistons’ rebuilding process is still in the boarding phase
It would have been an easy decision for Grant to stay with the Nuggets as a reserve, with the potential to get back to the conference finals and be a true contender. But Grant saw more opportunity with the Pistons in their rebuild, where he could be a bigger piece.
“The challenge and the ability to grow as a player. That was a big part of my decision and I’m looking forward to it,” Grant said. “It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m ready for it.”
Grant had a surprising season with the Nuggets and in his 24 starts, he posted 13.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and shot 39% from beyond the arc. There were more scorers around Grant in Denver, but with the Pistons and a green light to shoot, he could reach that next level in his production.
There were flashes in the preseason, but with extended minutes in the regular season, a significant jump isn’t out of the question. Finding that rhythm and that fit with a new starting lineup will be part of Grant’s development and won’t just come in the first few weeks of the season.
Plumlee also came from Denver, which makes the adjustment a bit easier for both him and Grant, and brings some of the winning culture and chemistry they had from playing together in that reserve group.
As mentors, they’ll be just as critical in helping find some level of success this season as they will in mentoring the young players.
“Our veterans have done an excellent job of teaching, showing the young guys what to do, how to do it, demonstrating it with their actions and their habits in practice,” Casey said. “For me, that’s how I know how to build a situation, to build a team, and that’s what we basically did in Toronto. We had the veteran guys there to teach and talk and that’s what we’re doing and that’s the value in it.
“If you leave just young guys out there on their own, they’re learning bad habits at the same time when you’re trying to teach them, but they don’t have a Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin or Mason Plumlee in front of them to show them the way.”
It’s not just the starters, either. There’s value in veterans like Wayne Ellington, 33, to be able to contribute when he’s called upon — maybe not as frequently as in past years, but he can still be valuable.
“Wayne Ellington has been a great leader in the shooting drills, talking to young players and understanding who he is and where he is in his career,” Casey said. “He’s a big help to Svi. He’s not here trying to steal somebody’s minutes. He wants to play and be part of what we’re doing, yet he still understands what his role is. I appreciate that a lot and I know our organization appreciates that.”
Pistons at Timberwolves
Tip-off: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Target Center, Minneapolis
TV/radio: FSD/97.1
Outlook: The Pistons open the regular season with rookie point guard Killian Hayes in the starting lineup and a revamped roster that includes Jerami Grant, Mason Plumlee, Delon Wright and Josh Jackson augmenting a young rotation.
Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard