Of all the right notes Troy Weaver struck when introduced as Pistons general manager, the one that resonated most with fans whose roots run deep was what he said about the teams he hoped to build.

“We will work day and night, tirelessly, to put a team on the floor that the community can first identify with and second be proud of,” he said. “My number one goal is for people to come to the arena and feel great about the product. And when we’re on the road, old Pistons like Dave Bing and Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars and Ben Wallace, Rip Hamilton turn on the TV and it just resonates. It looks and feels like a Piston team. We’ll work to ensure we make that happen.”

Saying it is one thing, breathing life into it quite another. But less than two years into his restoration project, there has been no deviation from the mission.

And don’t underestimate the discipline that takes. It’s easy to come into a job with a vision of what you hope to accomplish. Then the bullets start flying, losses mount, criticism follows and pressure to show results ensues. That makes the vision get really fuzzy around the edges. It leads to temptations that argue loudly to make an exception … then two, then three.

Through 20- and 23-win seasons, Weaver hasn’t batted an eye. Don’t doubt for a second his peers haven’t been circling like sharks, offering stopgap solutions that would have meant a punchier offense and another win or two here and there. Cosmetically, the Pistons would appear in a better place today, even if substantially they would have only punted problems down the road and allowed them to grow into bigger land mines ahead.

“You have to stay true to your core values in trying to build a team,” he said in reflection when the season ended. “It’s different. Building a team here in Detroit is different than building a team in L.A.

“So, yeah, of course there’s time you want to short-cut the process to get there a little faster, but is that going to be sustainable? I try to stay principled and make sure we’ll build a sustainable model.”

What does that look like? When you stay true to that model in the draft, you wind up with a Saddiq Bey at 19, downgraded by some who didn’t see highlight-reel dunks in his bag.

“I want to win and I want to bring a trophy back here so bad, it’s like a motivation thing,” Bey said this week. “Whatever pieces we add or the team we do have, I just feel confident in us and confident in the trajectory we’re on. It’s exciting for the organization. It’s exciting for all of us because we can see ourselves improving. Everyone’s goal and focus is to have a postseason next year.”

Exit interviews are standard practice for players when a season ends. When Pistons players filed through earlier this week, each was handed a binder with their summer’s mission detailed. Among the tips for Bey, a chronic workaholic: dial it back a bit.

“That’s been recommended for me, for sure,” he said, sheepishly. “It’s tough. It actually is a tough battle for me every summer. Let’s say it’s a couple days I’ve been off, I feel good, I want to get back in the gym.”

Having that attitude, that work ethic, that sense of team and community emanating from one corner of the locker room starts weaving the fabric of a champion.

Bey’s not the only one occupying such a corner. Isaiah Stewart is another whose diligence is rare. Cade Cunningham scoffed when asked about exotic summer travel plans. “I’m trying to work,” he said. “I feel like that stuff will come, maybe when I win some games. Maybe then the off-season will be more about resting than anything.”

And, no, Weaver doesn’t need any reminders that a team of Boy Scouts who earn merit badges for industriousness doesn’t necessarily equate to NBA titles. He was, after all, part of the Oklahoma City front office that had the greatest three-year draft run in NBA history, landing Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, future MVPs all.

Asked the biggest need for the Pistons, Weaver didn’t miss a beat: “To add talent. Let’s face it. Coach and I want the same thing – we want guys that play hard, play tough, dive on balls. But guess what? They’ve got to be talented.”

They just can’t be only talented and offer nothing to – or, worse, detract from – the collective culture. You can’t always get that right, either, any more than you can always spot how a college star’s game will translate to the NBA. But you can reduce the margin for error by putting in the work.

“A good scout does his work early,” Weaver said to a question about extrapolating Stewart’s game after playing one year in the middle of a Washington zone on defense and with his back to the basket exclusively on offense. It applies to digging into a prospect’s makeup and personality, too. “You’ve got to make sure you turn over every rock when you’re evaluating a player.”

Turn over every rock, then don’t ignore hard truths when doing so would steer you to adding talented players to address an immediate concern but risk undermining broad goals. Staying true to that is a challenge that’s buckled the knees of many across NBA history.

“The expectations are going to be what they are, but we’re going to stay true to our building process,” Weaver said. “I don’t want to be a flash in the pan. No Milli Vanilli here. When we get there, we want to stay there. We want to be built to last.”

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