Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
SiriusXM NBA Radio: ‘He's ours, we're happy to have him. I know Trajan Langdon is excited, JB Bickerstaff loves him. He's ours and hopefully, we get things worked out.’ Pistons advisor Dwane Casey discusses Jalen Duren’s playoff struggles and how Detroit’s front office is feeling as both sides have yet to come to an extension
Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon was straightforward when asked about being aggressive in getting Okorie. “We wanted to go get the guy we wanted,” Langdon said. “He’s a guy we targeted in this process, watched a lot of film on him. The whole second half of the season, he was a guy we liked, a guy who would fit what we’re trying to do here. In terms of playing faster and having another guy who can be on the floor, handling the ball, not only scoring but creating for guys on the floor. ”
“Alongside Cade (Cunningham), I’ll just be another playmaker on the floor,” Okorie said via speakerphone at the Pistons’ practice facility. “Another shot creator, able to create for myself and others. On the defensive end, bringing intensity, using my quickness, getting in passing lanes and getting a lot of deflections.”
Omari Sankofa II: Ebuka Okorie’s introductory press conference will take place tomorrow, July 25 at 11 am. Trajan Langdon will also attend.
Among the team’s priorities is retaining center Jalen Duren, who is eligible for a contract extension. “I want him here,” Trajan Langdon said. “We really want JD to be here.” Langdon also praised owner Tom Gores' commitment to the organization, saying the franchise has consistently received the resources needed to support players and staff. “There’s never been a no,” Langdon said when discussing requests made to ownership. “The success that we’ve had wouldn’t have happened without his contributions and overall commitment.”
Advertisement
Asked about what type of players they’ll look to target to address the playmaking component he cited – along with 3-point shooting – as a priority need, he said, “Spacing the floor is huge and giving more optionality on the offensive end to have more creativity. When you have more ballhandlers and more shooting, that opens it up for our three best players. Those are the things we’re looking at. Can we fill that with two players, with one? Do we do it on the perimeter, with a big? We’ll look at all of those things.”
"We all want to get better," he said. "I can’t stand here and say we don’t want to get better, so getting better means you’ve gotta win the second round to get better. It doesn’t necessarily mean we need to win 64 games, I don’t think we’re trying to do that though if we do that would be fantastic. But I think we know that we need to be more equipped to compete in the postseason and that’s what we’re looking at doing. Like I already said, it’s adding pieces that help accentuate our three best players, our core three players, and I think that will help us in the regular season and postseason as well. That all goes into the belief we feel like we can be better."
But their foremost priority is to take the highest player on their board. Regardless of who it is, they'll rely on their performance staff to help that player improve their outside shooting. "But I think for us it will be, who’s the best player there is what we’ll look at," he said. "It will be, does that player fit this environment, does he fit our identity, how can that player help us, maybe it’s not in the next year but in the future, right? We have players that are going to get expensive and we’re going to have to add our picks in to be able to help our team. So maybe it’s a player that helps us not next year, per se, but can help us throughout the course of this after that."
Langdon clarified he hasn't talked to Beasley, who he said doesn't have an agent. "I have not talked to him about coming back," Langdon said.
Hunter Patterson: Trajan Langdon says the Pistons will be looking for the best player available at No. 21 with an emphasis on a ballhandler. Mentions how unlikely it is to find a high-quality shooter at that point in the draft.
Advertisement
Hunter Patterson: Langdon says the Pistons know they need to be more equipped to compete in the postseason. Notes he wants to develop “championship habits” but says he doesn’t gauge the team’s success on whether they win a championship.