DETROIT – Nobody needs to tell Detroit Pistons general manager Troy Weaver to be aggressive, but just in case, owner Tom Gores called hours before the draft Thursday telling him to “go for it.”
By the end the day, Weaver had landed two lottery picks in guard Jaden Ivey and center Jalen Duren that provide the Pistons with speed, skills, size and more promise than the franchise has had in recent memory.
“This is the result of what being aggressive and going for it is and we’re thankful that we landed here,” Weaver said Friday. “It was an incredible night.”
The Pistons are being universally lauded for a great night after adding the 6-4 lightning-quick Ivey out of Purdue with the No. 5 pick, and then acquiring the 6-11, 250-pound Duren at No. 13 in a three-way deal with the Hornets and Knicks.
Adding them to a core that includes Cade Cunningham, last year’s first overall pick, and 2020 first-round selections Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey gives the Pistons a strong, young nucleus.
“Last night was a culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of talented people in our front office,” Weaver said during an introductory press conference for Ivey and Duren at Rogue Park. “I felt like I was along for the ride. Incredible work by the staff, kept grinding and coming away with ideas and thoughts that resulted into this.
“You can’t see it because I’ve probably had six hours of sleep in the last 14 days but I’m more excited than I’ve ever been.”
Weaver has completely overhauled the roster in two years. Now it’s up to Dwane Casey, entering his fifth season as coach, to put the pieces together.
Casey called Ivey and Duren two of the most dynamic players in college basketball this past season.
“These two guys add something we didn’t have -- size and speed,” Casey said.
“We want to play fast and use (their) ability to run the floor. There’s a lot of combinations we can play with, but we want to take advantage of their strengths. I told them I don’t mind mistakes because all young players make mistakes but make hard mistakes. I don’t care if you miss 10 shots, just play hard and good things will happen. These two play extremely hard and it’s going to help their growth process.”
Casey raved about Ivey’s “elite speed.”
“That’s his gift, the shooting is going to come,” Casey said. “His ability to get in the paint with his speed. Once he gets in there, he’s got to decide, do I kick it out to my shooters, do I make a lob to the big man rolling to the bucket, or do I finish? That’s got to happen in a millisecond. Those are the nuances he’s got to learn but you cannot teach the elite speed, defensively and offensively, that he has.”
Casey said he envisions a lot of three-guard lineups with Cunningham, Ivey and Hayes on the floor together.
“Cade is going to be the primary ball-handler,” Casey said. “One thing Jaden has done his whole career at Purdue is play off the ball and caught it and attacked when necessary, so I think both play off each other. Defensively, (Ivey) can put pressure on the ball.”
Duren, 18, was the youngest player in the draft. Casey likened him to a young Shawn Kemp.
“They’re raw the same way, still got to learn the game, but he has everything you can’t teach -- the athleticism, the power and the jump, the lob threat,” Casey said. “I told him there’s three ways he gets on the floor – run his butt off in transition offensively and defensively; defend his behind off, and then rebound. We’ll worry about the shooting next.”
Both are genuinely excited to be in Detroit. Ivey cried on draft night and again shed tears of joy on Friday.
“We want to get the city back to winning,” Ivey said. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to win. Having a guy like Jalen and guys like Cade, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart, those guys want to win. I feel like I can help the team win.”
Duren said he told his agent he wanted to be a Piston immediately after working out for the team.
“I feel like it’s a great young team,” Duren said. “I feel like we can all get better together and just make huge strides in the league.”
The Pistons still have some moves to take. Casey said they need to add experience and shooters.
They had $43 million available for free agency before the draft and potential targets include Deandre Ayton of Phoenix and Miles Bridges of Charlotte.
More:
Pistons envision dynamic backcourt with Cunningham and Ivey
Draft capital allows Pistons to acquire second lottery pick in Duren
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