The Detroit Pistons tip off preseason tonight, as they put the offseason in the rearview mirror and get back to business against the Suns.
It was a strange offseason for Detroit, which started off with high hopes but ended with a bit of a dark cloud over it. Hopefully, Jalen Duren’s press conference will heal some of those wounds, as he said everything the fans wanted to hear.
It’s hard to argue against Trajan Langdon’s results this offseason, as almost all of his moves can be justified in some way. The Pistons locked up the future of their team for the long term (and planned it smartly) while also addressing a major need.
Even though any of the moves can be defended in a vacuum, Langdon did come up short in some areas and took a puzzling approach that is reflected in his final grade.
The failed chase for a star
I wasn’t one of the people who thought the Pistons needed to go star hunting after winning 60 games and coming up just shy of the Eastern Conference Finals.
But they obviously needed more scoring and creation around Cade Cunningham, and you can debate whether they got it. Adding shooters in John Collins, Isaiah Joe and Taurean Prince should have a ripple effect on spacing and hopefully ball handling, but the Pistons didn’t add another player they can throw the ball to and ask to get them a bucket.
In fact, they lost one in Tobias Harris, so until we see what effect the improved shooting has on creation and Cunningham’s workload, we won’t know if it was enough.
The Pistons did lose some toughness
You can defend the moves to trade Isaiah Stewart and to let Tobias Harris walk to San Antonio, but that doesn’t mean it won’t sting.
Beef Stew was a huge part of this team’s defensive identity, though he did take that too far at times, which was part of the problem.
The bigger loss will be Harris, who was Detroit’s security blanket and the type of professional you want in the locker room. Collins can replace some of those attributes, but Harris was also a guy who rarely missed games, which is not something you can say about Collins.
The Jalen Duren drama put a stain on the offseason
Let’s face it, if Duren had signed this contract months ago, we might all look at this offseason a little differently for Trajan Langdon.
Langdon got the result he wanted in the end, but it was a rocky road to get there and could have been made smoother had they just offered more in the first place and not put a ridiculous weight clause on the deal.
Duren got his $200 million anyway, so why not just get the deal finished, get him into camp on time and build from last year’s momentum? The vibes were slightly soured when there really wasn’t any benefit to the standoff for the Pistons.
I ultimately liked the results Langdon produced, as the team should be better in some areas and still has a deep and versatile roster. He is also set up to make a big move at the deadline, so I was happy overall with the roster construction.
I am docking him for ignoring the human element of it, as things could have been easier than they ultimately were.
FINAL GRADE: C+
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