The Detroit Pistons hired Trajan Langdon as their next president of basketball operations, and he has plenty to do with not much time to do it.
The first order of business will be to decide the fates of Troy Weaver and Monty Williams, as Langdon has the power to bring in his own people and may do it.
We’ve looked at Langdon’s draft history as well as some names of possible coaches and players to whom he has connections.
We’ve also looked at the type of draft prospects he prefers, though Langdon is in a much different situation in Detroit, where he'll enjoy the 5th pick, his highest since choosing Zion first overall.
Even if Langdon decides to keep Monty Williams around, he may demand some of his own additions to his staff, and Trajan has connections to a guy who could really help the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit Pistons rumors: Trajan Langdon and shooting coach Fred Vinson
There are few assistant coaches in the NBA as respected for their craft as Fred Vinson, an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans who has been their shooting guru for years.
Players like Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Herb Jones all went from terrible to plus 3-point shooters under Vinson and gave him a lot of the credit for it.
Ingram went from a guy who barely shot 3’s and hit under 30 percent of them to a player who enjoyed two seasons of 39 percent where he shot more than six per game.
Lonzo Ball famously entered the NBA with one of the most awkward shots you’ll ever see. Ball went from 30 and 33 percent with the Lakers up to 38 percent with the Pelicans and then kept getting better with the Bulls, giving Vinson a lot of the credit.
Same with Herb Jones, who went from 33 to 41 percent under Vinson and is now taking more attempts. Jose Alvarado went from 29 percent to 37 (on nearly twice as many attempts) under Vinson's tutelage.
The Pistons have long been one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA, finishing 25th in 3-point percentage this season and just 29th in 3-pointers made per game.
They also have a guy in Ausar Thompson who needs plenty of help. Like Jones, he’s a defensive savant who can’t shoot, so the hope would be for Vinson to work his magic and at least get him up to league average. If that happens, Ausar has All-Star potential.
We’ll have to wait and see how Langdon approaches the coaching staff, whether he cleans house and starts fresh or just adds a few of his people.
Either way, let’s hope Vinson (who has interviewed for head coaching jobs himself) defects with Langdon and comes to Detroit.