Mark Daigneault | Pistons Post-Game | Dec. 06, 2021
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Questions in the room and then go to the Zoom.
00:04Go ahead with questions, everybody.
00:08Nick Gallo, kcthunder.com.
00:10Mark, just your reaction to lose steal
00:13and score there at the end.
00:14Great play.
00:15I mean, he's just a monster.
00:19And we got, we got a bunch, but,
00:21and we had a lot of plays like that tonight.
00:22Like we had big time, big time competitive juice plays
00:26that second unit group that crawled back in the game
00:29with us to start the fourth Poku chase down block.
00:34You know, he, I went and got him early in the first half
00:37for basically neglectful defense.
00:41And like the way he responded,
00:42he gave us huge minutes in the third and door all game.
00:47And, you know, since he came out of the womb,
00:49but that was a high level play and it was a monster play.
00:55Paris Lawson, kcthunder.com.
00:57Coach, I wanted to ask about the rookies tonight,
00:59Jeremiah and Trey, obviously Jeremiah on the boards,
01:02but then Trey seemed like he was all over the floor.
01:03He dove on the floor for that loose ball, him and Kenridge,
01:06but he was also making some of those,
01:07those attack plays that it seemed like
01:10you've been looking at for him so far on the offensive end.
01:13Yeah. Offensively, he was really good.
01:15And then defensively he had his moments, you know,
01:19that he can learn from, but the competitive spirit
01:22and like the recognition of how feisty he needs to play
01:25on that end was there, you know?
01:27And so if that's there and he's making mistakes,
01:30that's to be expected,
01:32but you got to bring the competitive juice.
01:35And I thought going back to his first blue game, you know,
01:38he made it clear in that game that he got that message
01:41and then, you know, has carried that forward since then.
01:44And I thought, you know,
01:45tonight he defended and competed hard enough
01:48to stay on the floor and hold, you know,
01:51hold water on that end and then offensively, you know,
01:53got it going like we know he can.
01:56Andrew Schleicht of The Athletic.
01:59Mechanically, what's the difference in Lou
02:01finishing around the basket this season from last?
02:03Because it's, I mean, he finished in a variety of ways.
02:06That last finish was not an easy one.
02:08Yeah. Now what's the difference?
02:12You're bringing him up tonight, right?
02:13But yeah. I would hope so.
02:16Yeah. He's a, tonight's a good night for Lou, Matt.
02:20Good question for him.
02:21You know, I think if you ask him specifically
02:23about the summer,
02:24I know he spent a lot of time on it this summer,
02:26but he was up, you know, his Canadian national team.
02:28And then he was in Montreal in the lab, basically.
02:32The one thing that stands out to me is it,
02:36finishing is mechanical in its decision-making.
02:38And so I think he's starting to recognize, you know,
02:41the plays to not go after, you know,
02:43it's kind of like shooting a contested shot, you know,
02:45percentages are going to go down,
02:47but it's a good question mechanically.
02:49You know, I think he just, he's, he's a worker,
02:52like I've said about, you know, him and Shea before,
02:54and, you know, he was impressive tonight,
02:57but that play is just, you know, will, you know,
03:00so he just willed the steal and willed the layup.
03:03I mean, he's, he's got some heart.
03:05You talked at practice yesterday
03:07about Baisley's play being repeatable.
03:10Did you see more of what you wanted to see from him tonight?
03:13Yeah. He, he kept this above board there.
03:15He had a little flurry of the two threes
03:17and I think he had a layup and guarded Barnes,
03:21which is a, that was their leading scorer.
03:24Yeah. I mean, I think all the, you know,
03:25Trey Mann, Baisley, Dort with the finishing,
03:27it's like the, I actually thought about your question after,
03:31and the best way I could describe it is like
03:34the balance between like confidence and aggressiveness
03:37and discipline is like so hard
03:39because those things like pull against each other,
03:41you know, like the more discipline you try to be,
03:44the more passive you can be,
03:45and the more aggressive you try to be,
03:47the more loose you can become.
03:48And I think like they, they just, when they're younger,
03:51they're just like, it's volatile going back and forth.
03:54And then over time, it just like levels out.
03:56And I think, you know, with Baisley's play,
03:58it's, I think you're seeing like a leveling out
04:00a little there.
04:01It doesn't mean he won't revert at different times,
04:03but, and the same thing with Trey,
04:04with the offensive stuff, you know, it's really,
04:06that's the hardest balance for all of them,
04:08you know, in their own way.
04:09And I thought, you know,
04:10he had another like really solid night.
04:15Joe Masato, the Oklahoman.
04:17Mark, this was your guys' fourth comeback win
04:20of at least 15 points or more.
04:22Winning in that style specifically,
04:25what can that do for a young group?
04:29It teaches the 48 minute lesson.
04:31You know, it brings a very tangible, you know,
04:35emotional example of the length of the game, you know,
04:39and that you're never quite out of it, you know,
04:42and I just think we could have played a lot better
04:45in the first half,
04:46both things we could control and then things we couldn't.
04:48I mean, we were missing layups.
04:49It was kind of, you know, early first quarter was,
04:52you know, we were right there,
04:53we were like on top of the rim on a lot of plays,
04:57you know, and if you just kind of hang in there,
04:59obviously, and just compete all the way throughout,
05:01then that's going to give you the best chance every night.
05:04And, you know, again, I thought,
05:08we talk a lot about the foundations of the team.
05:10We talk a lot about, you know,
05:11trying to educate the team on what the uniform means.
05:13And, you know, then obviously do it in our own style,
05:17you know, and, you know, paint our canvas as a team
05:20as we, you know, build our program.
05:22But, you know, I thought, again, you know,
05:24like we were very thunderous tonight, you know,
05:27and I thought the guys competed, you know,
05:29with that kind of fire and just resilience,
05:32you know, we just got back up and just kept coming.
05:34And that's like the core of who we need to be.
05:38And I thought, you know, we really tapped into that tonight.
05:39A lot of guys did that.
05:41It didn't end up mattering,
05:43but just curious with the late game situation,
05:45it looked like you were thinking about challenging
05:46that one half bounce call.
05:47How much time was left?
05:5050?
05:51I think so, yeah, just under a minute.
05:53Yeah, I mean, I couldn't get a look at it.
05:57I was asking Jeremiah, I don't think he knew.
06:00I think it was one of the, did you guys, was it ours?
06:03I don't even know.
06:03I didn't get a second look.
06:04I couldn't get a look at it.
06:05And yeah, I mean, I probably, I didn't have a look at it.
06:10I probably, if I could go back and do it,
06:12I'd probably challenge it blind.
06:13Because if you win it, you still have it.
06:16If you lose it, you still have a timeout.
06:17If you win it, you can get two possessions to there,
06:20one late in the game.
06:23I probably got a little too cute there,
06:25you know, trying to get it right.
06:26And then I actually went and tried to get it blind
06:29and they were inbound in the ball.
06:30I should have just done it.
06:32I probably would take that one back.
06:33Then one more for me,
06:35Davion Mitchell just looks well ahead
06:37of where most rookies are defensively.
06:40He started Che pretty well tonight.
06:41What stands out about his game?
06:44You know, similar to Dort, you know,
06:46I think it's feet, it's physical, you know,
06:48like he's got obviously like a mature physical frame.
06:52He's extreme.
06:53He's a ground athlete like Dort is.
06:55And then, you know, like I said about Lou,
06:57like Lou's got, you know,
06:58kind of the athletic profile to be a great defender,
07:00but the thing that makes him really good is his will.
07:03And you need to be, you know,
07:05someone that can really, you know,
07:07just take pride in it
07:08and really like to,
07:09it says a lot about a person's character
07:12when they take pride in something that's kind of invisible,
07:14you know, and I think Mitchell's that sort of player.
07:16You know, he's got a bright future.
07:21Okay. Yeah. Coach, you talked about lessons.
07:23Jeremiah Robinson Earl shoots one for nine from the field,
07:26but then gets 14 rebounds.
07:28Your thoughts on that,
07:29just how hard it is to get a player
07:30to have that kind of an impact on a game
07:32when he's missing shots.
07:35You know, we don't get them to do it.
07:36You know, I think the,
07:38you guys talked to me early, you know,
07:40about kind of the spirit of the team.
07:43Like the organization does a great job of identifying the,
07:46you know, funder guys and he's a funder guy.
07:49You know, we're not like instilling that in him.
07:51He's got that, you know,
07:52he's walking in the door with that.
07:53Now it's us trying to like bring out, you know,
07:56consistency with that and also try to, you know,
07:59sharpen the edges a little bit in his game
08:03and getting him to channel kind of those qualities
08:05into the type of player he can be.
08:07But, you know, that's the second half
08:09was just the character of our players.
08:11You know, like those guys are just monsters and, you know,
08:15his ability to stay with it like that was,
08:18was impressive because obviously
08:19he had a rough night offensively.
08:21Are we going to take two questions?
08:23Oh, go ahead, Myron. Sorry.
08:25Myron Patton, Fox 25.
08:27During this winning streak,
08:28like tonight Shady didn't play particularly great,
08:30didn't shoot it well, couple offensive fouls.
08:33There's Trey Mann, there's Kendrick Williams,
08:36the Lakers, Ty Jerome hits big shots.
08:38What's that say about your team
08:39that other guys at different times,
08:41and it's certainly your star players
08:42that helped get this done?
08:43We want to be a team that competes together.
08:46And I think when that's the mentality,
08:49which I think this group has and is exhibited,
08:55that's kind of part of it.
08:56You know, it's like when your teammate goes in there,
08:58you root for a success.
09:00When you get your number called,
09:02you're ready to contribute to the team.
09:03And I think it's powerful when everybody
09:06has their fingerprints on the impact of the team.
09:09And this is a particular group that, you know,
09:12if it's not your night,
09:13they do a great job of hanging in there with each other
09:16and rooting for each other and being supportive.
09:19And, you know, it's powerful when you step out there
09:22and you get an opportunity and you know,
09:23you've got 16 guys behind you that are pulling for you
09:26and that wants you to do well
09:27and that you feel like they need you.
09:31And that's kind of the spirit of the team right now.
09:33And that's something that you can't take for granted.
09:36You know, we have to continue to build that
09:38and continue to emphasize that and make that who we are.
09:43You know, we have to compete and we got to do it together.
09:46And then we're going to take one question to the Zoom.
09:48Go ahead, Daniel Bell with your question.
09:50Go ahead, Daniel.
09:51Yeah, Coach.
09:52Can you talk about the poise and composure of this team?
09:56Like, you don't really see young teams
09:58that are going to be this composed and poised,
10:00especially this early in the season.
10:04You usually see them mess up at some point during a comeback,
10:08but you guys have really been composed.
10:10Where does that come from?
10:13I don't want to ever take away from, you know,
10:15just the character of the players,
10:17like I said, about the competitiveness when,
10:20you know, there was a question about Robinson Earl.
10:24You know, so some of it's just the quality of people
10:27that, you know, we try to go out and find
10:30and that our people do a great job
10:32of going out and acquiring.
10:34And then I also think that environmentally,
10:36having an environment that's, like, very consistent
10:39where, you know, we try to be as non-emotional
10:42as possible in our process.
10:44You know, obviously, we enjoy the hell out of wins
10:47like this in the locker room after the game,
10:49but when we come in tomorrow,
10:50we try to just be very cold-blooded
10:52about detaching the lessons from the game
10:54and just continuous improvement
10:57because you can't ride the roller coaster of the season.
10:59And I think that when you have a program like that
11:02and everybody in the building is kind of wired that way,
11:06and then the players commit to that type of mentality,
11:09then I think it's easier in the emotion of the season,
11:13whether it's in a game or whether it's in a winning streak
11:15or losing streak, to just stay very even.
11:16And I think, you know, a combination of our players
11:19and our environment, you know,
11:20gives us the best chance to be poised.
11:22But again, like the connection to the team
11:24and competitiveness, it's something you can't take
11:26for granted because, you know,
11:27we're going to wake up tomorrow zero and zero,
11:29and, you know, we're going to have to go earn it again.
11:32Thank you, Coach.
11:33We'll bring players next. Players next.