The Detroit Pistons are looking to fill a head coaching vacancy after soon-to-be 66-year-old Dwane Casey was moved into a front office role.
Looking for a fresh voice and new leader for their young club, expect the Pistons to do their due diligence, especially with such high odds to land the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and the opportunity to draft Metropolitans 92 power forward Victor Wembanyama.
With or without Wembanyama though, Detroit has a number of special young players whose development should be a priority. Namely primary playmaker Cade Cunningham, combo guard Jaden Ivey, and center Jalen Duren.
Here are the three best coaches for the Pistons as they navigate through their rebuilding process.
3 best Pistons head coaching candidates to replace Dwane Casey, ranked
3. Charles Lee, Milwaukee Bucks head assistant coach
Let's start with the obvious when it comes to the Pistons organization, which is that they pride themselves on the opportunities that they give to African-Americans.
Pistons general manager Troy Weaver is a Black man. Rob Murphy, the president and general manager of the Motor City Cruise, is a Black man. As too is Dwane Casey, the former head coach turned front office executive, obviously.
In a world where there are more footnotes than nuance, the qualifications of the aforementioned men might get lost in their purpose as a progressive franchise. However, that shouldn't stop them from hiring Milwaukee Bucks head coach Charles Lee.
Lee is a coach who's a master motivator and strategist, while knowing exactly what it takes to prepare for a championship team after having won one with the Bucks in 2021. He'll build both relationships and trust with his young players by being honest and up front with them, no matter who they are.
However, having coached under Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer since 2014 (he followed Budenholzer to Milwaukee when he left the Atlanta Hawks in 2018), his coaching principles could resemble those teams. In that event, a floor-spacing center could be the pivot of the future in Detroit, whatever that may mean for Duren.
2. Kenny Atkinson, Golden State Warriors assistant coach
Any team that's in the midst of a rebuild should be focused on player development and there's arguably no better coach available that's better at that than Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson.
A great teacher with a wealth of coaching experience, Atkinson holds his players accountable and knows how to build a high-quality culture within an organization. That's invaluable for a franchise like the Pistons, as they've undergone plenty of change over the last few seasons; Atkinson can help them establish an identity.
A coach that's highly respected for his mind and ability to play to his player's strengths, Atkinson's focus on playing a semi=positionless motion-heavy style of offense is suited for a team with multiple players that don't have a true position. Defensively, Atkinson likes a drop coverage defensive scheme that's suited for a player like Duren.
Fair and willing to let his players play through their mistakes, an important intangible of many successful coaches, Atkinson coaches his players hard — wanting them to reach their full potential.
He makes sure to hold himself accountable as well.
As a result, his teams will play hard, play as a unified front, and play for their head coach.
1. Jerry Stackhouse, Vanderbilt Commodores head coach
Of the aforementioned candidates, Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Jerry Stackhouse is the only one who is reported to be “very interested” in the Pistons head coaching vacancy (h/t 247 Sports' Eric Bossi).
Stackhouse, who played four-plus seasons with Detroit, was a former assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors in 2015-16 alongside Dwane Casey. He was also the head coach of their G League affiliate (Raptors 905) during their championship season in 2017, winning Coach of the Year honors in 2017 as well.
Making a stop with the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2018-19 after leaving the Raptors, Stackhouse has been around the NBA since 1995.
So, with a lifetime worth of playing and coaching experience, one could say that Stackhouse lives and breathes the sport. A factor that likely contributed to his ability to elevate to Vanderbilt men's basketball program to respectability, culminating in Stackhouse collecting the Ben Jobe award and SEC co-Coach of the Year honors in 2023.
Committed to excellence and capable of it as well, Stackhouse is as worthy a candidate as any to be the Pistons head coach.
Even while rebuilding, expect Detroit to host a tough and competitive team with a dynamic offense under the former NBA All-Star.
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