Troy Weaver says internal growth key for Pistons to compete, ultimately contend

Pistons general manager Troy Weaver served as the facilitator of several moving pieces within the organization over the course of the offseason.

Entering his third season in charge, Weaver brought in Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, two explosive lottery picks to add some much-needed versatility to Detroit's roster. He also traded for veteran pieces in Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and newly-acquired Bojan Bogdanovic.

New toys are always flashy and interesting, but the old ones sometimes serve as the most reliable.

In the Pistons' case, their core group of Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, Killian Hayes and Isaiah Livers are the foundational pieces of this rebuild as the franchise seeks to restore its winning ways.

And their growth is vital in order to compete on a nightly basis, according to Weaver.

"That's everything," Weaver said during Monday's media day. "A lot of times, people want to look for all the answers outside the building. Internal growth is huge for us. You wonder why teams take these jumps? The players on those teams took jumps. We're hoping that our players in-house can continue to grow and develop at a pace that allows us to push and grow and compete, and then contend the way we want to."

The Pistons finished 23-59 last season in Cunningham's rookie campaign, which landed him third in Rookie of the Year voting. Bey became a focal point in the offense. And Stewart and Marvin Bagley III emerged as the team's primary duo in the frontcourt. If Detroit wants to mimic the success the Cleveland Cavaliers had in doubling their win total last season to compete for a possible Play-In game, the team will need to see exponential growth across the board from its young nucleus.

Pistons coach Dwane Casey said the team's inexperience is not an excuse, which is why Bogdonavic's addition to the team is vital to complement its core group.

"We're in another stage of our restore and rebuild situation by adding Bojan (Bogdanovic) and that experience, and when you add on and multiply that internal growth, I think that's what's important and it's got me excited," Casey said. "I was talking to (Pistons owner) Tom (Gores) last night and he was really excited.

"The sense of urgency is important. We still know where we are. I want to make sure the guys understand that being young is not an excuse now. You want to make sure we're ready to take that next step. We know that here in Detroit, but we want to make LCA a special place to play, and the only way you do that is come out and outwork people, play with a sense of urgency and toughness."

As Casey brought up toughness, the first player to come to mind was Cunningham. The Pistons' star guard entered Monday's media availability with some added muscle thanks to an offseason workout and diet regimen. Casey said he wanted Cunningham to use the newfound weight to his benefit.

"Having a stronger body, it's a lot harder to get hurt," said Cunningham, who averaged 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists as a rookie. "With bumps and the physicality of the NBA, I think it'll help me be a lot more prepared for it.

"There's been a few times (this offseason) where I felt a lot stronger on the court and it helped me get to my spots a little easier. That's all I wanted ... is just to continue to build on my body and I think that'll help with my whole mindset around the game and my confidence, for sure."

It's Detroit's hope that the additional pieces, including rookies Ivey and Duren, along with veterans Bogdanovic, Burks and Noel will allow them to compete on a nightly basis to become an emerging force in the Eastern Conference.

"I feel like we're out of the red, but I like the complement of players we have," Weaver said. "We have a lot of young guys. We have a lot of veterans that will solidify things for us and keep us level. You go from the red to the black and the only way to do that is to get level. I feel like we're at level ground right now, so I'm calling it ground-zero, so hopefully we can take a step forward."

mcurtis@detroitnews.comTwitter: @MikeACurtis2