The Pistons' new shot-caller wants more shot-makers. In his first season as president of basketball operations in Detroit, Trajan Langdon intends to be active.
That could mean wielding the Pistons' $60-plus million of cap space, most in the NBA, to take on veteran players who can both net the team draft picks and improve the roster.
"One thing we are looking for with the cap space that we do have is bringing in contracts from other teams and gathering assets as well, and hopefully those players that come in can bolster the growth of our youth," Langdon said Friday. "If we can interweave those two things, that would make our summer successful."
The Pistons are in dire need of more shooters after ranking 26th in the NBA in three-point percentage. They also need more competent ball-handlers after committing the third most turnovers. Both would fulfill Langdon's aim of making life easier for Cade Cunningham, the team's best player. Langdon comes to the Pistons after several years as general manager of the Pelicans, who ranked fourth in three-point percentage last season on their way to the second most wins in franchise history.
"Spacing always helps, players who can shoot the ball help, so obviously that’s what we’re going to attack" Langdon said. "I think if you have those two things on the floor as well as guys that understand the game, it’s going to cut down on turnovers and you’re going to shoot the ball better and get better looks. You gotta have people that make the right decision, the easy decision, and play well together."
Langdon said this cohesive, "unselfish" style of play "will impact the way we play the game and you’ll see our turnover rate go down and hopefully with the help of our new shooting coach, Fred Vinson, our three-point percentage go up. We’re going to get to work on that right away, but that’s the roster that we envision putting together."
As for when the vision might come to fruition, Langdon said he doesn't have "a timeframe of when we want to get back to the playoffs." Detroit hasn't made the playoffs in five years and hasn't won a playoff game in 16 years.
"For us, it’s creating an environment of winning for our young players, which means holding these guys accountable every day to winning plays, to the smallest things of being on time. Not only being on time on the court, but being on time on a rotation or a block-out, texting somebody back in time, returning their call on time. All those things impact a wining environment, which impacts a winning team," said Langdon.
"And at the end of the day, we have to have enough talent to win at a high enough level," he added. "And we do have young talent here."
To the fans who are pining for the Pistons to return to their winning ways after watching their team lose the most games in franchise history last season and the most games in the NBA over the last 15 seasons, Langdon said he knows "the people of Detroit are a very proud fanbase."
"Having witnessed three championships, there are expectations here," he said. "One, we appreciate all that support, but know that we’re going to put a group of talented young men on the court that are going to compete every night. We might not win every night, but we’re going to start playing some winning basketball every night.
"That’s what I know, that’s what I come from, that’s what I want to see here in Detroit for a long time."
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