Trajan Langdon faces first serious test with the Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons had a successful season regardless of what les Misérables on social media may tell you, but that was the easy part, and now it gets hard. 

Trajan Langdon has done an excellent job taking the Pistons from a 14-win team to 60 wins and a game away from the Eastern Conference Finals, but a lot of the work was already done in Detroit and now it starts to get hard. 

Langdon inherited the core of his roster, though did a FAR better job building around the guys that Troy Weaver drafted. He’s been patient and should now have a great understanding of what this team needs moving forward. 

Expectations will be sky high for the Pistons next season 

Let’s face it, NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE thought the Pistons were going to win 60 games this season and be on the cusp of the conference finals, and if you had been told that result before the season, you would have taken it. 

The revisionist crybabies on Twitter may say different, but this team overachieved this season, and even though the ending was disappointing, they are still ahead of schedule in their development.  

That said, they won’t be heading into next season as plucky underdogs that no one believes in, and Langdon will be under immense pressure this offseason to turn a good team into a true contender. 

He hasn’t had any pressure on him yet, as he took over a mess and everyone gave him a grace period, but that time is over and he has to deliver. 

Trajan Langdon can’t destroy his roster to improve it 

The Pistons have clear needs, especially on the offensive end, that must be addressed if they are going to contend for a title sustainably. 

The problem is that what made the Pistons good this season (defense, chemistry, everyone buying in) is not easy to replicate, and it’s an ecosystem that can easily be destroyed by the wrong move. 

The Pistons can’t chase upgrades that will destroy the core of the team and what makes them special. They have to get more talent, that is a fact, but they need to do it without blowing up the chemistry that sets them apart from other teams. 

Trajan Langdon may only get one shot 

Until I see it, I have a hard time believing Langdon will blow up his roster in a superstar trade for one guy. My guess is that he gets a second-tier scorer and improves his bench, which was mostly dominated by the Cavs. It sounds silly to say, but a Max Strus or Sam Merrill-type of player would have put the Pistons over the top in their series with Cleveland. 

With raises possibly coming for Duren and Thompson this summer, the Pistons have to be careful not to trade their cow for a sack of magic beans, as the roster is getting more expensive, and they may only get one shot at a star trade. 

Trajan Langdon has been playing with house money so far with the Pistons, but now it’s time for him to fulfill the vision he has for this roster and make them a championship contender. 

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