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Trajan Langdon didn't mince his words while recapping the 2024-25 season to local media the morning of May 7.
"After a couple days reflect, hell of a season for us," said the Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations, days after his first season in charge concluded with a loss to the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the first round of the NBA playoffs. "I don't know another way to put it. Surprising, gratifying. Guess it creates different expectations going into next year for us. We can see that both ways, positively and negatively. But I think there's way more positives."
It'll be a quieter offseason than last year, when the Pistons hired Langdon, a new head coach, filled out the front office and added Ron Holland with the No. 5 overall pick. The focus now is on finding the right balance between patience and playoff gains.
Here are the main takeaways from Langdon's end-of-season press conference.
THE GRADES: A lot of A's in 2024-25 season report card
After a surprise 44-win season, there’s an understandable desire from fans — and the organization as well — to keep the momentum going next season. The Pistons will likely come up as a potential landing spot for many big names on the trade market. The front office will listen to offers.
But the proverbial “big swing” may still be a ways off. Langdon talked a lot about continuity Wednesday, drawing from his time as a scout for the San Antonio Spurs from 2012-15, at the tail end of the Tim Duncan era. The Pistons’ returning core players are all 23 or younger; likewise, we haven’t seen what a healthy version of this team can accomplish in the postseason.
There’s an understanding that, despite adding 30 wins to their 2023-24 total, there’s more maturing ahead. The health of Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Stewart, as well as improvement from players such as Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, may be the primary drivers of the team’s growth next season.
“All these guys will come back and that continuity with this, not only the roster but the coaching staff and his philosophy that this group has never had before,” Langdon said. “That will be a positive through the summer and through next season as well. The questions will be there, about what we do. Do we add another person or do we just build from within? Like I said before, we’ll look at all avenues and decide what the best avenue is for us.”
THE BIG QUESTIONS: Free agents to prioritize, the big swing
Langdon didn’t offer much clarity when asked about the chances of the Pistons’ veterans entering free agency — Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., Paul Reed and Dennis Schröder — coming back next season.
Of the four, Beasley has said multiple times he wants to return, due to his importance to the team and local familial ties through his mom. He’s also the highest priority for the front office, after averaging 16.3 points and becoming just one of five players to hit 300 3-pointers in a season.
Schröder was a key rotation player for the Pistons in the postseason after arriving at the trade deadline. Hardaway was a full-time starter all season and rescued the team some nights with his outside shooting, and Reed was a key backup as the third center.
“Maybe some of them don’t want to come back, maybe some of them get bigger offers elsewhere,” Langdon said. “It takes two to tango with our free agents and they have decisions to make. All of them were great for us. I think they’d all be great for us coming back here in terms of what they did for us and how they fit the roster that we have. I can’t give you an answer of which ones because again, it takes both sides to come together on a deal.”
Ivey and Duren are also eligible for their rookie contract extensions in July, with both of them entering their fourth seasons after being drafted in 2022. Langdon spoke highly of both players but was vague when asked if extensions for both are pending.
Ivey, in his third season, was enjoying the best campaign of his career before fibula surgery ended his season in January after 30 games. He averaged 17.6 points and shot 46% overall and 40.9% from 3, showcasing his ability to thrive as a secondary playmaker and scorer alongside Cade Cunningham.
“He had an incredible first two months of the season and he helped this turnaround,” Landgon said. “I’m excited to see what his summer looks like and what he’s gonna look like coming back in the fall as well. He’s a guy that impacts the game on both ends of the floor and in-between and in transition. Adding him to the roster we have, I think, will create an even more explosive dynamic and something else that our coaches and players can use to help us win games and have even more success. I think he’s going to come back a better version than he was last to year.”
On Duren, Langdon said he thought he was a markedly better player during the final two-thirds of the season. The playoffs highlighted just how key Duren’s rebounding and vertical spacing is for the team’s offense.
Still only 21, Duren's future and how he can continue adding to his game gives the Pistons some excitement.
“JD took a huge step after the first 25 games, Langdon said. “He was a different player the last 50, 60 games of the season. He got off to a slow start. We’re hoping we’re going to push him this summer as well and I think he’s willing to take that up to another level. If those guys take steps, we get better.”
The Pistons have the 37th pick in this year’s draft, marking the first time since 2018 they’re without a first-round pick. With NIL money convincing a lot of college players to forego the draft and return to school, Langdon said the Pistons will deliberate moving up versus staying put.
“We have to look at how much that cost is for the kind of player we think we’re gonna get, and we’ll weigh all these things as we get information in Chicago and start doing our draft prep going forward for us to draft in June,” he said.
The NBA draft combine runs May 11-18, with the deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the draft on June 15 and the draft occurring on June 25-26.
Follow the Pistons all year long with the best coverage at freep.com/sports/pistons.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons count on 'continuity' despite free-agent uncertainty
Continue reading...
"After a couple days reflect, hell of a season for us," said the Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations, days after his first season in charge concluded with a loss to the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the first round of the NBA playoffs. "I don't know another way to put it. Surprising, gratifying. Guess it creates different expectations going into next year for us. We can see that both ways, positively and negatively. But I think there's way more positives."
It'll be a quieter offseason than last year, when the Pistons hired Langdon, a new head coach, filled out the front office and added Ron Holland with the No. 5 overall pick. The focus now is on finding the right balance between patience and playoff gains.
Here are the main takeaways from Langdon's end-of-season press conference.
THE GRADES: A lot of A's in 2024-25 season report card
Continuity will be a priority
After a surprise 44-win season, there’s an understandable desire from fans — and the organization as well — to keep the momentum going next season. The Pistons will likely come up as a potential landing spot for many big names on the trade market. The front office will listen to offers.
But the proverbial “big swing” may still be a ways off. Langdon talked a lot about continuity Wednesday, drawing from his time as a scout for the San Antonio Spurs from 2012-15, at the tail end of the Tim Duncan era. The Pistons’ returning core players are all 23 or younger; likewise, we haven’t seen what a healthy version of this team can accomplish in the postseason.
There’s an understanding that, despite adding 30 wins to their 2023-24 total, there’s more maturing ahead. The health of Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Stewart, as well as improvement from players such as Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, may be the primary drivers of the team’s growth next season.
“All these guys will come back and that continuity with this, not only the roster but the coaching staff and his philosophy that this group has never had before,” Langdon said. “That will be a positive through the summer and through next season as well. The questions will be there, about what we do. Do we add another person or do we just build from within? Like I said before, we’ll look at all avenues and decide what the best avenue is for us.”
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THE BIG QUESTIONS: Free agents to prioritize, the big swing
Free agency re-signings are “TBD”
Langdon didn’t offer much clarity when asked about the chances of the Pistons’ veterans entering free agency — Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., Paul Reed and Dennis Schröder — coming back next season.
Of the four, Beasley has said multiple times he wants to return, due to his importance to the team and local familial ties through his mom. He’s also the highest priority for the front office, after averaging 16.3 points and becoming just one of five players to hit 300 3-pointers in a season.
Schröder was a key rotation player for the Pistons in the postseason after arriving at the trade deadline. Hardaway was a full-time starter all season and rescued the team some nights with his outside shooting, and Reed was a key backup as the third center.
“Maybe some of them don’t want to come back, maybe some of them get bigger offers elsewhere,” Langdon said. “It takes two to tango with our free agents and they have decisions to make. All of them were great for us. I think they’d all be great for us coming back here in terms of what they did for us and how they fit the roster that we have. I can’t give you an answer of which ones because again, it takes both sides to come together on a deal.”
Team expects to have extension talks with Ivey and Duren
Ivey and Duren are also eligible for their rookie contract extensions in July, with both of them entering their fourth seasons after being drafted in 2022. Langdon spoke highly of both players but was vague when asked if extensions for both are pending.
Ivey, in his third season, was enjoying the best campaign of his career before fibula surgery ended his season in January after 30 games. He averaged 17.6 points and shot 46% overall and 40.9% from 3, showcasing his ability to thrive as a secondary playmaker and scorer alongside Cade Cunningham.
“He had an incredible first two months of the season and he helped this turnaround,” Landgon said. “I’m excited to see what his summer looks like and what he’s gonna look like coming back in the fall as well. He’s a guy that impacts the game on both ends of the floor and in-between and in transition. Adding him to the roster we have, I think, will create an even more explosive dynamic and something else that our coaches and players can use to help us win games and have even more success. I think he’s going to come back a better version than he was last to year.”
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On Duren, Langdon said he thought he was a markedly better player during the final two-thirds of the season. The playoffs highlighted just how key Duren’s rebounding and vertical spacing is for the team’s offense.
Still only 21, Duren's future and how he can continue adding to his game gives the Pistons some excitement.
“JD took a huge step after the first 25 games, Langdon said. “He was a different player the last 50, 60 games of the season. He got off to a slow start. We’re hoping we’re going to push him this summer as well and I think he’s willing to take that up to another level. If those guys take steps, we get better.”
Moving up in the draft is a possibility
The Pistons have the 37th pick in this year’s draft, marking the first time since 2018 they’re without a first-round pick. With NIL money convincing a lot of college players to forego the draft and return to school, Langdon said the Pistons will deliberate moving up versus staying put.
“We have to look at how much that cost is for the kind of player we think we’re gonna get, and we’ll weigh all these things as we get information in Chicago and start doing our draft prep going forward for us to draft in June,” he said.
The NBA draft combine runs May 11-18, with the deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the draft on June 15 and the draft occurring on June 25-26.
Follow the Pistons all year long with the best coverage at freep.com/sports/pistons.
Follow the Detroit Free Press on Instagram (@detroitfreepress), TikTok (@detroitfreepress), YouTube (@DetroitFreePress), X (@freep), and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook (@detroitfreepress).
Stay connected and stay informed. Become a Detroit Free Press subscriber.
Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters, and we may publish it online or in print.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons count on 'continuity' despite free-agent uncertainty
Continue reading...
