Isaiah Says Detroit Feels Like a Seamless Fit Around Cade, the Young Core and a Winning Mindset

Questions

Isaiah, just kind of walk us through your journey here to Detroit

What's been your impression of the city, your teammates, and what you can bring? It's been amazing

Ever since day one of Detroit, I've been welcomed with open arms

getting acclimated with the system, with the city. Everybody I've met is amazing

It's a sleeper spot out here is what I'll say. It's very nice. You know, you got a lot of spots out here that you can go eat

you know, chill with your family and all that. But, yeah, I'm enjoying it, man

I'm excited. Has anyone noticed to you that you share the names Isaiah Thomas

Joe Dumars? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like everywhere I go, I'm like, you know, you got a special name

Like, I mean, it's my name. You know, like, yeah, you were meant to be here

So, you know, maybe it was meant to be. What excites you the most about playing here in Detroit

Just getting out there with the guys. Obviously, watching from afar, my ears elsewhere at OKC

just seeing you guys grow and trying to understand what makes the team good

And as soon as I got here, I kind of figured that out. The guys are grimy

They work hard. Guys are in the gym every night working on their craft

And we've got a great system, great coaches. And it starts with Tom all the way down

So everybody's together. So I think I'm just ready to get out there and play with the guys

How much do you think just coming from a situation where you were able to win a championship year round

just so much high-level basketball, you're not – well, maybe – I don't know if you consider yourself a vet at this point, but like ��

You're seven. I don't know. Yeah, I mean, you're a vet. I don't feel like I'm a hunk or anything

Yeah, no. How much do you think just coming from that culture to a situation that is a winning situation now can help you just help the team

Yeah, I mean, for me personally, I think I can bring that experience

Kind of know what it takes to build throughout the regular season so

you can be successful in the post season. But yeah, I think I'm in the best situation going from number one team to

another number one team contending, we've got great aspirations. Everybody's got the same goal in mind, that's always a good sign

There's no egos. We here to achieve the same goal So yeah I excited I excited that stuff that I can bring to the team but also the stuff that I can learn from these guys I learned a lot in my short time being here so hopefully we can just keep that trend

What have you learned about playing with Cade Cunningham or alongside him

His ability is like, he just wants to win at all times, and you've got great players

across the league, and sometimes winning isn't always a forefront. So whenever you have your star player who's just doing whatever it takes

to win games, whether that's scoring, sharing the ball, being a leader by voice and example, it shows

And so that's something that's really impressed me with him. Jamie, bigger staff, more than more intense coaches in the NBA

What's been your impression learning under him so far? He's a cool dude, man. He's a cool dude

Obviously, he can turn up a bit. I feel like sometimes the team needs that

But great, great guy. Talked to him on the phone the day I was drafted

Got to pick his brain a little bit. He got to pick mine. And so we've gotten real close

And when I got to meet him in person, I realized why the guys like him

Obviously, from outside looking in, you see him turning up, going crazy. But he just got the guys' back

You know, and so what can you ask for more than you coach Tabby back on every step up on the floor

You're one of the best shooters in the NBA, but another part of your game is kind of what J.B. talked about a little bit with your cutting and then also on-ball creation

Are you looking to grow that side of your game here a little bit? Most definitely. Never want to be stagnant in my role and whatever I can bring to the team

I'm always working on my game, and those are two things that I've really been working on over the summer

Hopefully I can bring a lot of value in that way, you know, coming to this team, but also, you know, keeping a main thing, a main thing

being able to knock down three consistently. But, yeah. What similarities, if any, do you see between Cade

and, you know, Shea Gildress-Alexander? And, you know, how do you feel like that experience with Shea

can kind of help you with Cade, with kind of helping him grow in his role and grow in your guys' chemistry

Yeah, they're both very dominant, and they occupy a lot of attention

And so I think being out there, playing with him, we should work hand-in-hand pretty well

You know, guys are going to be drawn to him. may leave me open for shots

Guys may not want to leave me open shots, may leave open driving lanes for him

But I think just their dominance and how they approach the game and how they can just take over at any moment makes them dangerous You seen them being a part of a lot of sustained success from the outside looking in with your free agency approach

What attracted you to Detroit and encouraged you that they can do the same as well? Fitment, but also what I've seen as how you guys have grown over the years

Obviously, I've had some rough years in the past, But being able to get over that hump with essentially the same group of guys

it just speaks volumes on, you know, everybody's commitment to the game

to the craft, and, you know, coming together to win games. What's it like sharing an offer with Paul Reardon

That's my guy. It's good to know that he hasn't changed one bit from when I got drafted with him in Philly

But, yeah, he was actually the first person to contact me outside of Trajan and JV

He was the first guy to contact me whenever I got traded here. I know this is business, but just looking at the roster you guys had

and what everybody thought was going to be that kind of same kind of core roster for so long

how long did it take you to adjust to life moving on and on becoming a system

It didn't take too long. I think what made it easier. Obviously, you know, upping and moving isn't the easiest, no matter your situation

but everybody was so welcoming. and as far as like moving all my stuff and getting acclimated into the system

it was seamless, especially when you move to an organization who knows what it takes to bring somebody along the team

and also be successful. What up, baby? How you doing, brother? I'm doing good

They asked me all the toughest questions, man. They didn't ask you about me yet

No, no, no. They didn't ask you about you. I don't think they ��

What's your impression that you're about to agree? What was that? What's your impression? They just asked me about you, bro

Who's the most athletic person you've ever seen in your life? You mean thinking

Yeah, I'm thinking, bro. I'm thinking, I'm thinking. But you thought it was you

Huh? What's I supposed to say? Javante Green, y'all. Javante Green. He's the most athletic person I've ever seen

But I've been waiting for you to take me to jumping school. That's why I asked you that question, because you always ask me

Yeah, but you don't ever invite me to school. But you don't ever have them, though. Like one time a month bro That my dog What was your impression of the Pistons last season You kind of mentioned these two teams being in the same boat

but what was your impression of them last season, and how did you kind of enhance what they built last season

Yeah, obviously, young, hungry team, and it showed a lot, especially during the regular season

They found ways to win, and I don't think that was by chance

because they did it consistently. And hopefully I can bring, you know

just adding to that willingness to win and find a way at all costs

just like the intentionality behind, you know, getting better. Win or loss, you know, we're just trying to get better

trying to improve every day. We just want to be able to look back on the drawing board, you know

and say, were we able to improve? Were we able to improve on? And is it going to help us in the future

So hopefully I can just bring that. I know you're a big community guy. and this summer you had quite a bit going on

one of which being an event after you got traded in OKC. What about Detroit's community and kind of the city itself entices you

How much you guys love sports? Actually, this past weekend I got to enjoy going to the Tigers game

and then just yesterday went to the Lions game. And the way that the city just wakes up

but then just ready to rally for all the sports teams. And I know some people went to the Tigers game on Friday, Saturday

went to a football game up in Ann Arbor and came back for the Lions game

And, yeah, you guys, you do it. Yeah, for sure. Oh, yeah, just as far as just like you being an elite movement shooter

having Duncan here now as someone who is also in that category

Is there like what kind of benefit is there to if you're going through a slump you can kind of compare notes with Duncan and just

Continue to elevate as a shooter having him do it. Yeah, I mean first and foremost

It's like a iron sharpens iron type situation, you know, and not only Duncan

We got Kevin Herter to Chaz Lanier, great shooter The guys work and so you mentioned slumps. It's part of the game

You're gonna go in a slump every once in a while and sometimes you need somebody to pick you up and

And having great shooters, movement shooters at that alongside you, it's going to pay dividends

Appreciate that. Thank you