Tag: dwane casey

Pistons coach Dwane Casey talks Sixers’ defense, chances for title run

Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey discusses the defense as well as the potential title run for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey has been on a title run before in his coaching career with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 so he understands what it takes to win in this league. He was also a big piece of the Toronto Raptors as their head coach before their title run.

While his Pistons are in the beginning stages of a rebuild, he does take a look around the league and he understands who the title contenders in the East are. One of them is the Philadelphia 76ers who forced his team into 18 turnovers and they had a tough time scoring against the Sixers in the half-court.

Detroit had a tough time scoring against the likes of Joel Embiid and Dwight Howard down low as coach Doc Rivers came up with a nice game plan. Philadelphia did not even have Defensive Player of the Year candidate Ben Simmons on Saturday, but coach Casey sees the makings of a dominant defensive team.

“Doc has done a good job of, throughout his career, as far as to establish a defensive identity,” said Casey. “They’re getting after it, they do a good job of covering the pain, they try to bring you into Howard and Embiid. Simmons is one of the top individual defenders in the league. He’s got a lot of good pieces to work with to implement a system.”

It is due to their defensive ability along with the talent of guys like Simmons, Embiid, and Tobias Harris that can push the Sixers over the top in the 2021 playoffs. With the system that Rivers has implemented on the defensive end, teams have a tough time scoring against them in the half-court and it’s almost like pulling teeth.

Per basketball-reference, the Sixers are second in the league in steals per game at 9.1 and they are also second in defensive rating at 107.5 which is a big reason why the Sixers are considered title contenders.

“He’s done a good job with that,” Casey added of the job Rivers has done. “One of the top teams in steals as far as forcing turnovers. They force you into a lot of mid-range shots, they’re definitely a contender for the Eastern Conference. One, because of the talent, and another is because of defensive ability.”

Philadelphia has four games left to really fine-tune everything before the playoffs begin on May 22.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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WATCH: Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey gushes about Cassius Winston

The Pistons are facing Cassius Winston and the Wizards on Thursday night and Dwane Casey had a lot of good things to say about the Spartan.

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I have seen Cassius Winston talk about his love for his local Detroit Pistons team over the years, and his affinity for Chauncey Billups in particular. Now an NBA player with the Washington Wizards, Cassius gets the chance to play against his favorite team, and that happened for the first time on Thursday night when the Pistons faced the Wizards.

Before the game, Pistons head coach Dwane Casey was asked about the young point guard. Casey, I am sure, has had plenty of time to watch Cassius play as he starred for Michigan State down the road, and had a lot of great things to say about the Spartan legend.

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Watch his very positive comments about Cassius below:

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Pistons’ Dwane Casey unbothered by Killian Hayes’ rookie mistakes

Hayes committed seven turnovers in his preseason debut on Friday but that is all part of the process for the first-round pick.

Killian Hayes’ preseason debut was anything but spectacular but Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey knew ahead of time that was likely going to be the case on Friday night.

Hayes finished with five points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals but shot just 2-of-7 from the field and turned the ball over seven times in 21 minutes against the New York Knicks. He has been praised for his playmaking ability but, on Friday, was just a touch off in a few areas of his game.

Though a high number, several of his seven turnovers were preventable. On more than one occasion, Hayes either dragged his pivot foot, slid his foot over or picked up his dribble too early.

The mistakes, as Casey said, are all part of the process.

“The turnovers are glaring and you see them but they didn’t bother me,” Casey said Saturday on a Zoom call with reporters. “That’s part of the growing process for him. I promise you, he’ll learn from them. He is a quick learner and showing him the video this morning, he saw it and talked about what he did wrong before he was even shown the video. Those things are going to happen.”

Considering the circumstances, the subpar debut by Hayes may not be all that surprising.

A typical rookie is afforded the opportunity to play in Summer League. They have a long summer available to them to work out at the team facility and a longer period of time to get to know their new teammates. Hayes has practiced for less than two weeks with the Pistons following the shortened offseason period and has had few opportunities to run full-court scrimmages with his team.

Hayes previously played the past three years professionally overseas and has been given a strong vote of confidence by Casey in picking up the Pistons’ system. He has prior knowledge of running advanced plays and that should pay dividends this season.

“Once he gets used to the length, quickness and speed of the NBA, it won’t take him long,” Casey said. “He did make some good plays. He got in the paint deep, he punched it in there and kicked it out and caught them in rotation on the weak side. That’s what you have to be able to do in today’s NBA game and he does an excellent job with it. He does a good job in practice each and every day and last night he had some rookie turnovers and that’s part of the growth process we’ve got to go through.” 

Hayes’ first points came off a beautiful pass from teammate Blake Griffin as he converted the tough layup over a defender. Other times, he helped move the ball down the court and even found success penetrating into the lane and kicking it out to an open man.

The final stat line by Hayes was easy to criticize but considering the situation, the 19-year-old showed flashes of his potential in a limited sample size. He has proven to be a confident player and should bounce back on Sunday as the Pistons once again host the Knicks.

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Pistons coach Dwane Casey compliments LiAngelo Ball during training camp

Through the first week of the preseason, LiAngelo Ball has impressed Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey in training camp.

After signing with the Detroit Pistons over a week ago, LiAngelo Ball has largely faded into the background. As would be the case with virtually any player entering training camp on an Exhibit 10 deal, Ball has quietly assumed his role within the team as he fights for a roster spot.

On Tuesday, Pistons head coach Dwane Casey gave his first thoughts, albeit very brief, on Ball’s performance through nearly the first week of training camp. Casey’s four-word summary of Ball was succinct, calling Ball an “excellent player, great kid.”

The Pistons open preseason play on Friday at home against the New York Knicks. Detroit will host the Knicks twice over the weekend with the two teams set to play on Sunday as well. The ensuing weekend on Thursday, Dec. 17 and Saturday, Dec. 19, the team plays a pair of games against Washington.

The good news for Ball is that the Pistons’ four preseason games could provide the opportunity for Ball to get onto the court in a preseason game.

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Casey sent a text message Monday to the …

Casey sent a text message Monday to the Detroit Free Press paying his respects to Thompson. “He was a pioneer for African American Coaches,” Casey wrote. “He was one of the first coaches who fought for social justice. He fought for us as coaches. I remember when I was fighting the NCAA he stood up for me at a National Coaches meeting. Every time I would see him I would thank him! He came to numerous practices when I took my Toronto teams to Georgetown University to practice at his practice facility. He always had colorful advice. He was a man’s man!!! What you saw is what you got! We as African American coaches, all coaches are indebted to ‘Big John!’ RIP.”