The Detroit Pistons held their annual media day on Monday afternoon before kicking off training camp Tuesday . Here's what new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon had to say about the Pistons' offseason and what he wants to see during his first year in charge.
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Tobias Harris prioritized Detroit, and the Pistons returned the favor
The Pistons’ biggest splash in July was signing Harris, 32, to a two-year contract worth $52 million. Harris, who previously played for the Pistons from 2015-18, fills a need as a wing who can score inside and out.
It also mattered that Harris saw a return to Detroit as his ideal next stop at this stage in his career. He met his wife, Jasmine, while he was a Piston. And his desire to be back in Detroit pushed him toward the top of the Pistons’ list in free agency.
“Most important is he wanted to be here, so once he said he wanted to be here that was huge for us,” Langdon said. “He’s a guy that’s been impeccable in terms of his habits and his professionalism. He’s played in the playoffs on multiple teams. He does it the right way all the time. He’s in the community.
“He came here because he wants to be a leader as well. I think it’s going to be one of the first times he’ll have a chance to truly be one of the leaders. I think he and Cade will be the leaders of this team and that’s what he wants to do. He’s stepping in those shoes and we have big expectations from him from that standpoint.”
Cunningham expected to continue to grow into alpha dog
It’s clear that the Pistons’ new regime thinks as highly of Cunningham as the previous regime, as the two sides agreed to a five-year maximum rookie extension worth $224 million . His third season was his best, and Langdon is confident Cunningham will continue to grow into a star.
While expectations are high for Cunningham on the floor, Langdon is defining success for him by what he does off of it as well. Cunningham has been praised for his gifts as a leader since he was drafted three years ago. Langdon wants to continue to see him seize that role as the team, ideally, learns how to add more wins to their record.
“He wants to lead,” Langdon said. "I think that was a big thing for him and we’re fortunate he wants to be here as well. A young man of his caliber, both playing and as a young man who’s high-character, he embodies what we want to be as a franchise. The re-signing of him, we’re all very excited about. Seeing him progress every day in terms of his leadership and also his compete level, both sides of the floor. And then playing winning basketball and figuring out what that means night in and night out because hopefully we can stay in games.
“He’s a hell of a basketball player. I wouldn’t say that comes easy, but he’s so talented he’s going to figure it out on the court. It’s what are the habits, what is his leadership style and how can that get better as the year goes on.”
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Langdon’s encouraged by what he’s seen from the veterans
Along with Harris, Langdon prioritized veterans who could shoot the ball and wanted to be in Detroit. Both Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley have local ties — Hardaway is a Michigan basketball alumnus, and Beasley has family in the area.
All three guys are proven floor spacers and will open things up for Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. But the Pistons needed support outside of the court as well, and all signs indicate that the veterans have gone out of their way to be mentors. Several Pistons players noted that, compared to last season, this year’s veteran group has been more engaged with the young players.
“We brought those guys in for exactly that reason, to help bolster not only the playing on the floor, but also it’s a long season,” Langdon said. “To help the ups and downs and to keep these guys as even-keeled as possible if and when we go through a losing streak. Not to think back on what happened last year, but what’s next? Move onto the next play, move onto the next practice, move onto the next game.
"J.B. (Bickerstaff) has communicated to them, I’ve communicated to them as well that the leadership piece for those guys is going to be huge for us as a team and also for creating these habits with the young guys that we have," he added. "A lot of our guys here, the returners, haven’t seen winning at a high level and they haven’t seen playing for something past the All-Star break, which is obviously when the whole league ramps up.
"We’re all hoping that they can be leaders in the locker room, be leaders on the court, be leaders as we travel and leaders in the fourth quarters of games who can help show these guys the way it’s done."
Growth, rather than wins and losses, is the focus
After a 14-win campaign, Langdon is pumping the breaks on setting expectations entering his first season.
It’s understandable that he’d want time to assess his roster before declaring what it’s capable of. Rather, Langdon hopes the Pistons can redefine what “Detroit Basketball” is and establish a reputation built on toughness.
“Not being as granular as to one play or one game, but whether it’s 5-10 game segments or half a season trying to determine how these guys are getting better and growing will be important for us,” Langdon said.
“I don’t think the goal for us is wins and losses,” he added. “Obviously we want to win as many games as possible but it’s putting a group together that establishes a Detroit Pistons identity. At some time of the season, we want to be able to say, and J.B. has reiterated to our guys, that this is Detroit Pistons basketball and when we walk into the arena, the other team knows exactly what we’re going to bring. And they better be ready for it because we’re going to come and compete every night.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com . Follow him @omarisankofa .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: In Year 1, Detroit Pistons president Trajan Langdon is taking the long view
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