Pistons news: Anonymous execs, pity for Cade Cunningham and the Draft's biggest reach

Trajan Langdon has mostly gotten a positive response to his start as president of the Detroit Pistons, but there are always critics. 

Most of them are circling around the NBA Draft, where the Pistons surprised a lot of people by choosing Ron Holland II with the 5th overall pick. 

But if you have been paying attention to Langdon’s draft history, it makes sense, as he has always had a preference for athletic wings who can defend. He’s starting fresh here, has no ties to the guys who are already on the roster, so wasn’t going to make his first pick based on fit with guys who might not be around much longer. 

That didn’t stop 20 anonymous NBA executives from ripping into the Pistons in a recent poll on ESPN (subscription). From an outside perspective, they do have some points, but a closer look reveals there is more to the story. 

Ron Holland II named as 2024 Draft’s biggest reach 

Ron Holland II tied for the most votes when executives were asked about the biggest “reach” in the draft. This wasn’t surprising, as he wasn’t mocked that high by any of the “experts” even though many agreed he had one of the draft’s highest ceilings. 

Here’s what one anonymous executive had to say: 

"I feel bad for Cade Cunningham," one voter explained. "They've been rebuilding for years even though they never planned on it, and this pick signals they might need to blow up the roster and start over again. I just don't see how [Holland] plays with Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey and all their other young guys. That situation is a mess. Even when Holland was scoring in Vegas, it was so ugly to watch." 

There is a lot to pick apart here. 

I would agree that it will be tough to play all of those guys together, but so what? There is a good chance that one or more of these young guys will be traded at some point, Langdon isn’t building a team to try and win a title this season, he’s doing it for the long haul. 

Having two wings who are plus defenders is almost a necessity in today’s NBA. As of right now, a rookie who has never played a game (Holland) and a second-year guy (Thompson) are not great shooters, but I forgot that all players are finished products at 19 and 21 years old, respectively. 

Herb Jones couldn’t shoot either, now he’s an All-Defensive player who shot 42 percent from 3-point range last season. When he was drafted, all I heard was how he was a horrible fit with Zion Williamson because he couldn’t shoot, now Jones is the heart of their team. 

This is a long way of saying that we have no idea what these players are going to become, especially Holland, who hasn’t even stepped on the floor in a real NBA game. These players aren’t going to be starting together, or probably even playing together much, as Detroit now has shooters to flank them. 

It’s also very possible the Pistons make a trade or two which will make this all a moot point. I agree that the team is a mess, one that Troy Weaver left behind and Langdon is trying to clean up. 

I don’t feel sorry for Cade Cunningham 

The first sentence of that quote actually made me laugh out loud, as I happened to have Cade’s extension number up on another screen. I think $250 million will soften the blow for Cade, who is smart enough to know that this was going to be a process. 

The rebuild hasn’t gone to plan, and I am sure he would like to have more wins than he’s gotten thus far in his career, but he's 22 and there is plenty of time to change that.

The Pistons may not be title contenders, but they should be much better next season, as Langdon has added three shooters and retained Simone Fontecchio on a sweet deal. Things should be a whole lot easier for Cade Cunningham next season, as it will be his first on a coherent roster with players who can actually spread the floor and help his game. 

I don’t feel bad for Cade, as he already has generational wealth coming his way and is on a team that has made him the priority and is slowly improving. It’s not ideal, but the team is at least headed in the right direction, and with Langdon in charge, I won’t be shocked when they are competing for real in a year or two with Cunningham leading the way as an All-Star.