Heading into All-Star break, growing Pistons looking at bigger picture

Boston — The Pistons head into the All-Star break with plenty more to prove and figure out in the second half of the season. Their eight-game skid prior to Wednesday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics showed some of the mental fatigue that a young team is going through during a grueling season.

While they only had 12 wins, some of the struggles were predictable given the youth on their roster and the path ahead with their rebuild. That still doesn’t take the sting away from their up-and-down play and the slew of double-digit losses.

For coach Dwane Casey, each day is a reminder of other seasons in his career where he’s had to be in rebuild mode with a young roster, but the bigger lesson was looking at the bigger picture and a growth mindset.

“That is the biggest challenge for us, to continue to grow and understand there is growth, except it’s not showing up in wins. If I hadn’t gone through it in Toronto the first couple of years — we won 23 games in the first year, and it’s like what we’re going through now — I would have been pulling my hair out right now,” Casey said . “But I see growth, understanding throughout the organization, the players don’t feel it, but there is growth, and just keeping them motivated.