No time to waste, so Casey likely to stick with same Pistons blueprint for final 2 games - Pistons.com

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Were this a normal preseason, Dwane Casey might be expected to use the third and fourth games to look at new combinations for his starting and bench units or give guys at the back end of the rotation a chance to show what they could do with a broader role.

But this is the 2020 preseason and like pretty much everything else about 2020, normal doesn’t exist.

And so for the third and fourth preseason games of 2020 – also the last two preseason games of 2020 and both in the same city, Washington, and against the same team, the Wizards, for two other ways 2020 is abnormal – Casey’s intent is to stick with the same blueprint he used for the first two Pistons preseason games.

“We don’t have a lot of time to experiment with plays and what works for who and that type of thing,” Casey said Wednesday as the Pistons prepared to depart for their first COVID-19 road trip. “But we do have some time, in probably the first four, five or six games of the year, to experiment with people in and out of the lineup.”

Casey used 12 players in the first halves of both games last weekend against the Knicks and went even deeper into his bench in the second halves. They’ll travel with 16 players to Washington after waiving Louis King, LiAngelo Bell and Anthony Lamb on Tuesday. Deividas Sirvydis, the 20-year-old Lithuanian who was drafted in the 2019 second round, is expected to come out of COVID-19 protocol on Thursday, Casey said, after his arrival in the United States was delayed by visa issues.

As far as the starting lineup goes, it’s almost certain that Blake Griffin, Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee will comprise the frontcourt. Casey has seen enough from Killian Hayes to believe he can handle himself well enough defensively to start – and starting him allows him to benefit offensively by playing with Griffin, who commands enough defensive attention to relieve some of the inherent pressure that comes with playing point guard from Hayes.

The other backcourt spot is less certain, though Casey said this week that he likes Delon Wright next to Hayes.

“I still love Delon being in there with the young fella,” Casey said. “As far as his read of the game, nuances, finding people, scoring, getting to the basket when he needs to, kicking out, finding the roll guy, defensively – he’s just a smart player. A lot of the little things he does go unnoticed. I’d like to keep him in there with Killian as much as possible.”

Casey’s second unit so far has consisted of Jahlil Okafor at center, Sekou Doumbouya and Josh Jackson at the forward spots and Derrick Rose and Svi Mykhailiuk at guard. But Wayne Ellington and Saddiq Bey – the other two who played in each first half so far – are being given equal consideration for rotation spots.

And Casey said it could stay that way indefinitely – or permanently.

“My message to them is you’ve got to be ready, whether you’re a starter or coming off the bench,” he said. “The great thing about it is we have professional guys who are willing to accept their position. They may not like it – you don’t want them to like it – but ready to accept that role, whatever it is.”

Wright thinks Casey’s handling of playing time in the preseason so far is the right approach given that with only four returning players from last season’s roster, whatever can be done to foster familiarity is a plus.

“I think it’s important,” he said. “Coach has been doing a good job of playing us in practice with the units that have been playing together in a game. It gives us some time together so we can feel each other out. It’s a short preseason. We didn’t have any time throughout the summer to work out with each other. All the time we get now is very important.”

• One player who didn’t appear in either of the first two preseason games, Dzanan Musa, is in no danger of being cut. Casey said Musa, who came as the return from Brooklyn in the trade for Bruce Brown, “fits in.”

  “He’s going to be here. I like Musa. I know what he can do. He’s an NBA player. He’s smart; he can shoot the ball. He’s not forgotten about. I like him. He’s conscientious. He works hard. He’s definitely a bright spot of camp.”

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No time to waste, so Casey likely to stick with same Pistons blueprint for final 2 games - Pistons.com
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