Trajan Langdon has rightfully been given a lot of credit for the huge turnaround the Detroit Pistons have enjoyed this season.
If the Pistons continue on this pace, they will have had one of the biggest single-season improvements in league history and Langdon deserves plenty of praise.
He found the right coach in JB Bickerstaff, who has backed his guys from the beginning, increased the focus on defense and found perfect and consistent roles for all of his guys.
Langdon added Tim Hardaway Jr. (and three second-round picks) in a move that looked like a standard salary dump, but THJ has been a solid starter whose shooting and veteran presence have mattered more than expected.
He picked up Malik Beasley for a song, the unquestioned steal of the offseason, as Beasley is 2nd in the NBA in 3-pointers made and doing it on a modest $6 million deal.
Langdon signed Tobias Harris, a move that was largely scorned at the time, but which has proven to be important, a Harris adds a level of stability they were missing and he’s been playing great of late.
But much of the Pistons’ improvement and chances for the postseason came from the moves Langdon didn’t make.
Trajan Langdon didn’t panic trade any of the Pistons’ young talent
Going into his first offseason, there was some amount of pressure on Langdon to make sweeping changes, which he did in the coaching staff.
Some fans were calling for trades, as the young core wasn’t looking as promising as we once thought (thanks Monty Williams!) and we weren’t sure if Jaden Ivey could really play with Cade Cunningham.
Langdon bet that his young players would improve with a better team around them (crazy idea!) and didn’t move any of them, instead exercising patience despite the onslaught of public opinion based around being sick of being told to be patient.
And it has paid off.
Cade Cunningham has evolved into a true two-way star. Prior to his injury, Jaden Ivey had made leaps in all of the areas the Pistons most needed him to and showed he can be a viable option next to Cade.
Ausar Thompson is starting to look like a future All-Star after missing the offseason and training camp and is now nearly as untouchable as Cunningham.
Jalen Duren has come on of late and Isaiah Stewart is one of the league’s best rim protectors and backup centers.
Even if the Pistons were to eventually trade one or more of these guys (which is a possibility), they have all increased their value and perception around the league, so this non-move has paid off in multiple ways for Langdon.
Langdon didn’t sell out the Pistons at the trade deadline
Flash forward to the trade deadline, when we would have expected players on expiring contracts like Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. to be traded. At the beginning of the season, I probably would have bet on both guys being moved.
But Langdon resisted the urge to sell out his team for a few second-round draft picks and instead stuck with his roster and will allow them to play out this season, which was a smart move.
Playing meaningful basketball is important and you have to take that first step before your team can become a true contender. By keeping his roster intact and even adding to it, Langdon sent the message that winning matters, which has not been the mantra of the Pistons over the last five seasons.
This is how you change the culture, not by adding second-round picks, so I was happy to see Langdon back his guys. This type of loyalty will pay off, as players talk and know which organizations are going to treat them well and not just like numbers on a cap sheet.
The Pistons aren’t going to win a title this year, but they have made the first step towards being relevant again, which has a lot do with Trajan Langdon ignoring public opinion and not making rash moves.