A strange offseason is nearly in the books for the Detroit Pistons, and their identity is now clear. They are building around defense and their young core, and that hasn’t changed.
It looked as though the Pistons were going to have a quiet offseason and possibly just bring back their own guys, but they had to pivot quickly after news that Malik Beasley was under investigation for gambling.
So much for the quiet offseason.
Fans went into panic mode after Detroit also lost Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schroder without a clear plan to replace them, and it started to look like a nightmare offseason in the making.
To Trajan Langdon’s credit, his Plan B might have been even better, as the Pistons quickly traded for Duncan Robinson and signed free-agent Caris LeVert, players who should make their offense more dynamic as upgrades over the one-dimensional Beasley and THJ.
They replaced a big chunk of the shooting they lost, added another playmaker in LeVert and a solid veteran in Robinson who has expanded his game in recent years and has plenty of playoff experience under his belt.
Some of the names changed, but the identity remained the same.
The Detroit Pistons are Cade Cunningham’s team but he has help
The Pistons flipped Beasley and THJ for Robinson and LeVert but know that their biggest additions have to come from within.
That includes the return of Jaden Ivey with a big chip on his shoulder, ready to prove he is the second star this team lacks. It includes big leap years from Ron Holland II and Ausar Thompson and continued improvement from Jalen Duren.
Trajan Langdon could have swung for bigger names this summer, cashed in some of his financial flexibility, draft assets and young talent for a star, but instead stuck to his plan, which is to see what this core can offer at full strength.
Langdon is building around Cunningham, Ivey, Thompson, Duren, Holland and Beef Stew, not exactly a murderer’s row of shooters, but guys who are athletic, can defend and still aren’t near their peaks as players.
Until further notice, that’s the identity of the team, and the players they bring in will be ones who complement that group, not break them up, as we’ve seen with Trajan Langdon’s two offseasons so far.
He’s building a team around continuity and defense, personified by five young players who are all improving and all hungry for more playoff success.