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Cake day: October 24th, 2023
  • Danny886OPBtoDetroit Pistons@nba.space•Discipline, defense, development: Monty Williams 'has made a real difference'English
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    2 years ago

    Pretty good weekend for the Pistons. First road win, first home win. First winning streak. First back-to-back sweep. Yeah, it’s only three games. But it feels real. It feels sustainable.

    Tom Gores … spoke before Saturday’s home opener, the 118-102 bludgeoning of the Bulls.

    “We wouldn’t bring somebody like Monty in if we had a bunch of players who weren’t ready,” he said before settling in at courtside for tipoff. “It took us a bit to create this foundation – Cade, Ivey, Stewart. This is a very strong foundation. They want to win as bad as anyone. Patience with progress, right? We’re set to make progress.”

    Oct. 2, the day before the first practice of training camp (Weaver) said, “We want to compete. Every game is going to mean something from the start, 1 to 82.”

    Last April, he enunciated, “What this team needs, it’s simple – discipline, development and defense.”

    Then he hired Monty Williams, whose great gift is to boil complex problems and issues down to their basic elements and communicate them clearly (to) individual players.

    “He’s made a real difference,” Gores said of the coach he wouldn’t let say no. “We’re organized. What makes the most sense with Monty is he threads the needle everywhere. He knows how to have discipline, but he knows how to have compassion. He really threads the needle to me. He’s an experienced coach, but at the same time he’s modern and listens.”

    Discipline? Charlotte’s P.J. Washington … blasted Stewart as he went in for an easy bucket. Stewart … resisted the natural urge to retaliate. (Williams) put his hand, palm down, at chest level. It meant stay on an even keel emotionally.

    “We just talk about being steady,” Williams said. “Games are competitive. They get emotional. And then they get irrational. We’ve got to stay away from irrational.”

    Defense? Williams has made it his daily drumbeat. If you can’t guard two dribbles, he said early, then you probably can’t play in the NBA. His lineups tilt toward defensive considerations.

    (Last year), the Pistons were 27th defensively. (As of) Sunday, the Pistons were No. 5 in defense. In rebounding – an essential element of defense to Williams – the Pistons were No. 1 by percentage of rebounds corralled with a whopping 57.6.

    Development? Look at Jalen Duren. He was magnificent in Saturday night’s win over Chicago with 23 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, two blocked shots and a steal in 33 tour de force minutes. Just wait until he turns 20.

    The Pistons start the youngest group in the league with Stewart the eldest. He won’t be 23 until May. (But), remember, too, the Pistons are missing three players – Bojan Bogdanovic, Monte Morris and Isaiah Livers – who make them deeper, more rounded and … more experienced.

    By all appearances, they’ve got a coach who clicks with his group. Morris spoke … of Williams from their days competing in the Western Conference (and) how Williams’ demeanor never changed on the sidelines even in the heat of the moment and how much players appreciate a coach’s unflappability.

    The young Pistons speak reverentially of Williams. Cade Cunningham lauded his honesty and communication skills. Jaden Ivey got a bit choked up talking about the impact Williams has had on him on the eve of camp. Stewart’s admiration and affection (for) “Coach Mont” is clear.

    “We’re fighters,” Duren, the NBA’s leading rebounder through three games. “We all want to win. Last year, we had a lot of ups and downs. But with Monty coming in, setting the standard, we’re all buying into it.”

    Discipline. Defense, Development. (A) pretty good weekend for the Pistons.