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Langdon was a longtime fan of Cunningham’s, dating to his lone season at Oklahoma State. “I didn’t think that there was anything he was incapable of with his size, length, with his understanding of the game,” says Langdon. But when Langdon accepted the Pistons’ job, he had a question: Did Cunningham, who had been the top pick in 2021, still want to be there? Three years of declining win totals would tax any player. And Cunningham was set to have his third coach in three seasons. Langdon remembered Cunningham’s first TV interview after he was drafted. “You could tell he was excited to be in this city,” says Langdon. Now he wanted to know if that was still the case.
Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon confirmed during an early press conference Friday that they are working to sign Daniss Jenkins to a standard contract ahead of their road game against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday – securing his future with the Pistons for the rest of the season. “We’re having conversations with his agent about what that looks like going forward and we’ll convert him over the weekend, and he’ll be a roster player in our game in Charlotte, at least that’s the goal, the hope for the weekend,” Langdon said. “Kudos to him. He’s worked his butt off. All last season playing a ton of games for the Motor City [Cruise], we saw his improvement during the year and I think everybody saw how he played in the summer league in Vegas and he just continued to improve, working not only with his own trainers but with staff and with his teammates through the summer.
Omari Sankofa II: Langdon: "You’ve gotta look at not only the identity of this team, but the camaraderie. You can see it between the lines, you can definitely see it in the locker room. That was a factor for us is making sure that group feels the same way going post trade deadline." (1/2)
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Omari Sankofa II: Langdon reiterates he wants to use the postseason to evaluate what the roster needs. Was asked if any offers tempted him: “Whether it was the other team pulling out or us saying it’s not the right time, I wouldn’t say it got close but there were some talks we were tempted by.”
Detroit has built on last season’s success and has been the No. 1 team in the East for most of the season, despite not making any big-name trades or free-agent signings in several years. The Pistons have thrived as their high draft picks have matured and general manager Trajan Langdon has filled out the roster around them with capable, role-playing veterans. “I believe, right now, he’s one of the frontrunners for Coach of the Year,” Mike Brown said of JB Bickerstaff. “The first people who come to mind are him and (Celtics head coach) Joe Mazzulla. Those two have done something with teams people thought didn’t have a chance, and they’re right there despite missing pieces. “It doesn’t surprise me about what he’s doing in Detroit, because I know how passionate he is, how hard he works, and he’s extremely intelligent.”
Where do you see the front office’s priority being placed on at the trade deadline? I’m still expecting Detroit’s front office to be opportunistic but not aggressive. The Pistons have a slim lead over the New York Knicks for the No. 1 seed in the conference. Trajan Langdon, Detroit’s president of basketball operations, has openly expressed his desire to let the team continue growing internally since taking over at the beginning of last season. While there could be some chances to improve around the margins — say another reliable 3-point shooter outside of Duncan Robinson or a scoring threat off the bench — don’t expect the Pistons to sacrifice their youth and draft capital to make any big-swing trades that could alter the fabric of the roster.
Tim MacMahon: If the Pistons want to be aggressive before the deadline, they have the ammunition. They have the flexibility. They just came through Dallas. I can tell you they're not looking at it as we have to be aggressive before the deadline. They're not going into the deadline with an aggressive mindset. They're going into it with an opportunistic mindset. I think it's probably more likely that they use the flexibility to collect another asset or two. I think they're more in the Sam Presti of a couple years ago mindset. Brian Windhorst: They're finishing their breakfast sort of thing. MacMachon: They don't want to block the development of these young guys that have put them in the spot.
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It seems like in recent years, when teams exceed expectations, they might feel the urge to make a trade or alter their roster. How do you go about ensuring last season was real and that players continue to develop without making any of those roster-altering moves? Trajan Langdon: For us, the reason we were more successful (than expected last season) was the environment, the locker room that we had. It was created through people with (the front office) staff, with the coaching staff and with the players we brought in. The character as human beings, and the level of players that we had, we just thought it was a good fit with everybody. That’s one thing that we want to make sure we keep here, but also keep continuing to develop our young guys, who we think are talented young players.
Trajan Langdon: We want to see what those guys’ ceilings are. It’s continuing to put players with them that can continue to help them grow, develop and reach their potential. That’s one thing we try to be as cognizant as possible of, which is something at times that can be challenging. Of course, you want to continue to get better, but we’re very aware of what the timing of that is. We want our guys to continue to develop and at least get close to their ceiling or potential. Then maybe at that point is when we realize, OK, what is the proper player fit for these guys when it’s time to really go? I don’t think we truly understand who our players can be at this point. I just think it’s too early for us to truly understand what the best way to press the proverbial gas pedal is right now. So, we’re gonna try to be patient with that and let our young guys continue to develop.
How do you think the resilience of the players you’re bringing in contributes to helping shape the mentality and culture of the roster? Trajan Langdon: There’s something to be said when you have to have a level of resilience in this league. It’s a very tough league. You could have a tough game, and you’ve got to play the next night against a really good player. You have to be able to bounce back right away. We’re looking for high-character individuals who have toughness and resilience to be a part of winning, because you have to be able to have that mindset on an every-night basis. It’s not going to go your way every night, but what are you gonna contribute on those nights? We feel that was an important piece for the quality of individuals we’re bringing in here.
