In his first season as Pistons general manager, Troy Weaver has made an impression.
The Pistons only won 20 games, but the energy that Weaver brought in turning over the roster and setting a new course is a harbinger for things to come with how he’ll manage the roster and the coaching staff.
It’s only been one season, but there’s a clear direction and a clear sense of what he wants the team to be, both on the court and off it.
“When I took the job, I had one goal in mind, and that was to restore the Pistons. I won’t stop, I won’t quit until it happens. We’re going to be unwavering in how to get there and we’re going to be committed to doing things the Piston way,” Weaver said Monday. “But the optimism and belief inside these walls comes from us doing things the right way, and we should have in each other that we can make it happen.”
The Pistons finished 20-52, the second-worst record in the league, but looking at the product on the court, there’s more to be optimistic about, with the growth of the young core, including rookies Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart, Saddiq Bey and Saben Lee.
There were some surprising wins and ugly losses, but there’s a clear path forward for the franchise, with the young players and a likely top-five pick lurking in the draft, the Pistons could get good pretty quickly.
That’s what makes the 20-win season sting a bit for Weaver, because he tries to set high expectations for himself and the team. The summer won’t be about resting on their small successes this year; it’s about setting the stage for a bigger step up next season.
“I’ve got to be better. I’m looking forward to the challenge to see myself improving, and our whole organization improving. Twenty wins doesn’t sit well with me — at all,” Weaver said. “I don’t like anything about it. I don’t like the way it looks; I don’t like the way it smells. I don’t like anything about it. The only way to improve that is that I’ve got to come back better.”
In Weaver’s previous job as an assistant GM with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he saw a similar scenario, when the Thunder went 23-59 in the early period of their rebuild. They had a winning record and made the playoffs every year after that in Weaver’s tenure.
He’s hoping to bring that kind of turnaround to the Pistons, but it has to be done with buy-in from everyone and the optimism is warranted, but it’s only optimism until it becomes something concrete on the court.
“It’s kind of déjà vu because I’ve been here, at OKC when we won 23 games and we were very optimistic that we could continue to grow, and I have to same feelings here that I had back in the 2008-09 season there,” he said. “Obviously, the optimism is not in the record — because the record stinks — but we’ll continue to fight, claw and scratch, whatever we’ve got to do to get out of this hole. We’re going to do it together. We’re going to be unwavering about getting it.”
Draft delight
The anticipation about their improvement is funneled into the draft pick, which will be determined on June 22 at the draft lottery. There are some good options there, including Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs and Jalen Green at the top of the draft. The Pistons will have the best odds of getting the No. 1 pick, but even if they win the lottery, that won’t be a salve to heal all of their issues.
“There’s definitely star potential in the top five. Franchise-changing? No, I don’t see any Shaqs or LeBrons in the draft, but it’s a pretty talented class,” Weaver said. “Hopefully, it’ll be something we can add to the group, and continue to push us forward. We’ll be excited to make the choice wherever we land, but I’m not looking for somebody to walk in and change the franchise.”
Weaver added that the most important pieces they need to improve next year are already on the roster, and it’ll take a summer of development and improvement to reach the goals they have, both individually and as a team.
Coach Dwane Casey is sending each player to the offseason with a list of development areas, and most of the players will stay in Detroit to work with coaches to get that work done. Even for Jerami Grant, their leading scorer, it’s not about just coming back next season as-is; there’s a plan to improve on both ends of the court.
It’s a dual benefit of what Grant can do to help himself individually and the team.
“You can be a really good player right now. Your next step is to get out of the conversation of most improved and get in the conversation of being an All-Star,” Casey said. “What helps you to be an All-Star is for us to win and for us to be in the playoff conversation. If we’re in the playoff conversation, that helps you to be an All-Star.”
Weaver brought in Grant and the other players in the roster, and this summer he can do some more tinkering, but the focus will be on filling in gaps and not trying to reinvent the wheel. There are enough solid pieces in place and just making some tweaks, the Pistons can be better with the players they have.
“We want to double down,” Weaver said. “We’re not going to change anything (we’re doing). We’re going to continue bringing in like-minded people who fit what we’re trying to do. We won’t get cute. Sometimes when you lay the foundation, you waver or go astray or look for what’s popular or what’s cute, but we won’t do that. We’ll double down on our foundation and believe in what we’re doing and continue to bring in players and people who fit where we’re trying to go.”
The 20 wins were an indication of where the Pistons are right now, but not necessarily where they’ll be next year.
Even then, Weaver will still have some work to do.
Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard