Trajan Langdon wants to make life easier for 'big-time player' Cade Cunningham

Just six NBA players averaged at least 20 points and seven assists last season. LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Damian Lillard, Tyrese Haliburton -- all of them All-Stars -- and Cade Cunningham. That's the player that Pistons new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon wants to build around.

"He and I have had some really good conversations thus far," Langdon said Friday at his introductory press conference. "A high-character human being, mature beyond his years, and a big-time basketball player at a young age, obviously averaging 23 and 7.5 assists last year."

The assists were eighth best in the NBA, on a team with very few consistent shooters. Problem was, he also committed the sixth most turnovers, often forcing plays due to the lack of talent around him and his own lapses in judgement. It rarely looked easy for Cunningham, even as he improved as a shooter. While LeBron, Jokic, Doncic and Haliburton all ranked within the NBA's top 10 in Player Efficiency Rating, Cunningham ranked outside the top 60.

"We’re hoping to put a group around that can bolster his growth but not make it as hard for him to do the things that he had to last year," Langdon said.

Cunningham's struggles, especially in trying to close games out, cast some doubt on his status as the centerpiece of the Pistons' future. So does his tendency to get injured after he missed more than 100 games his first three seasons. In an offseason where the former No. 1 pick is eligible to sign a max rookie extension worth up to $225 million over five years, it's fair to wonder whether he can be the best player on a championship team.

Langdon said the Pistons aren't thinking that way yet. The goal next season is simply to make life easier for Cunningham by "having other players help him, so he can help them."

"He is an unselfish player who I do think has a chance to be an impactful player at a high level and be the best player. In terms of a championship level, who knows? I really, really, hope so," Langdon said. "But we’re not going to start talking about championships here. That’s a long ways away. We need to start talking about foundational growth."

Extension or not, the 22-year-old Cunningham is under contract through next season, scheduled to make about $14 million in the final season of his rookie deal.