The 6-foot-11 Eastern European with the long stare and his game warm-ups on isn’t the traditional picture of an NBA coach.
But when Zaza Pachulia wanders down the sideline on a stoppage of play and pulls aside one of his teammates on the court to communicate a message, as he seems to do about once a game, the 16-year veteran and two-time world champion’s words carry weight.
Not looking the part but still being effective is emblematic of the Pistons’ bench unit, which Pachulia anchors in the middle. It's a group growing in cohesion along with coach Dwane Casey’s starting core.