When Troy Weaver took over as GM of the Detroit Pistons, he earned the name Troy “Reaper” after he immediately dismantled the roster.
Trajan Langdon didn’t start as dramatically, but instead added veterans to the young core without making a wild trade or taking on any bad long-term contracts.
But he’s just getting started.
As we know, when a new regime takes over, the leftover players are all on borrowed time, as Langdon doesn’t have connections to any of these players and will eventually want to put his own stamp on the roster.
He’s set a timeline of two years with the contracts he’s added, so there is time for the young players to prove themselves, but Langdon isn’t going to wait around if they don’t.
There are four Pistons in particular who are at risk of being traded if they don’t prove themselves and do it soon. With extensions on the horizon and the team trying to get back into competition, patience will not be in infinite supply.
Marcus Sasser
What he needs to do:
-Show he can run the 2nd unit for short stretches
-Improve his playmaking
-Be a more consistent shooter
Marcus Sasser is not a point guard but if he wants to get minutes next season, he needs to show he can do the job, at least for short spells.
The Pistons added veterans at his spot who are proven shooters, so there might not be a ton of minutes for Sasser off the ball with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley on board, not to mention rookie Ron Holland II, who will also be looking for wing/guard minutes off the bench.
Sasser may never get there as a playmaker, so he’ll need to shoot the lights out to get minutes. He did finish at 37.5 percent from long range last season, but was all over the place, going from red hot to ice cold.
He’ll need to be more consistent, as there is more competition next season. Trajan Langdon is not the one who traded up to get him and won’t hesitate to trade him if the right deal comes along.