Trajan Langdon immediately acknowledged the Detroit Pistons’ improved standing compared to a season prior when he entered the media room at the team’s practice facility on Monday, Sept. 29.
“We’re in a slightly different place this year than we were in last year, right?” the Pistons’ president of basketball operations said.
In 2024, Langdon inherited a rebuilding team coming off of a franchise-worst 68 losses. A year later, the Pistons are one of the league’s rising young teams after a historic leap from 14 wins to 44, culminating with a six-game first-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks.
Training camp begins this week for the Pistons, and Langdon, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and players all talked to reporters on Monday. Here’s what Langdon had to say.
Jaden Ivey, roster healthy entering camp
Injuries left the Pistons shorthanded in the playoffs against the Knicks. Ivey suffered a season-ending broken leg on Jan. 1, and Isaiah Stewart was shut down late after spending Game 1 hobbling up and down the floor with a knee injury.
Langdon said that the Pistons are healthy going into training camp, with the exception of two-way guard Colby Jones, who is dealing with a minor ankle injury. Ivey has been participating in five-on-five scrimmages with full contact and no restrictions in preparation for playing for the first time in nearly 10 months.
Ivey was in the midst of a career season before the injury, averaging 17.6 points per game on nearly 40% shooting on 3-pointers through 30 games. His teammates say he hasn’t lost any of his trademark speed.
“He’s looking really good, obviously,” Langdon said. “It will take him some time, he hasn’t played five-on-five NBA basketball in 10 months. By the time he gets going with that I think there’s going to be a rhythm component and even a game conditioning component that he’ll have to get up to speed. We look forward to having him back and he’s going to be a huge part of this team.”
Playoffs shaped Cade Cunningham’s offseason approach
There’s regular season shape, and there’s playoff shape. Cunningham accomplished what was needed in his breakout season, earning All-Star and All-NBA honors as he ascended to superstardom. By his own admission, though, he wore down in the postseason. Conditioning has been a major focus this offseason, with the expectation that the team will be playing into May again.
The series against the Knicks was physicallybtaxing, which Langdon said is good for both Cunningham and the roster as they try to take the next step as a team.
“We got to feel that physicality against an experienced team and you don’t get the understanding of what it takes until you experience that,” Langdon said. “Cade, being the head of the snake, got to understand on both ends what it takes, especially in a seven-game series that goes six games with the physicality that he did. What kind of attention to detail, what works, what doesn’t work, what kind of conditioning you have to have. He’s attacked that this summer both in between the lines on the court and weight room and conditioning. He’s excited to take the next step and continue leading this team.”
No update on extensions for Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey
The extension deadline for the 2022 lottery-pick duo is approaching rapidly. The Pistons have until the day before the start of the regular season — Oct. 20 — to ink Duren and Ivey to their rookie-contract extensions. If the deadline passes without a deal, both players will be restricted free agents next offseason.
Both said, separately, that they’re focused on the season and not concerned about contract talks. Langdon noted they will have substantial roles this season, but didn’t tip whether or not he expects them to be signed beyond next season.
“We’re excited they’re both members of the Pistons,” Langdon said. “They’re gonna have huge roles this year and both of them, the way they play will impact our success or not. Whether we get deals done or not, I don’t know if that happens but I”m not going to comment on them unless they do or they don’t when that time comes. That’s going to be between myself, the player and the agent, but we’re happy that they’re Pistons and we’ll see what happens.”
Front office focused on improvement; players want to win
Expectations are always a tricky topic for NBA general managers leading non-contending teams. The Pistons surpassed all reasonable hopes last season by tripling their win total and ending a 17-year playoff victory drought (though they still haven’t won a postseason game at home since 2008).
Langdon wants to see the team sustain that success, but he isn’t looking at the win-loss record.
“Everybody hopes that that means more wins,” Langdon said. “Sometimes it always doesn’t. I’ve always said it and you’re going to get on me all the time and say you’re boring, but I hope we’re better in January than we are in November and better in March than we were in January. That’s individually, across the board and as a team.”
Players were more direct. Making the postseason should be the floor for this group, and Langdon acknowledged that falling short of that goal would be tough on the players.
“The hope and the goal for this team is to have a chance to make the playoffs and then do something there, that’s what these guys have been focused on,” he said. “Anything less than that would be a disappointment. I’m not saying that, that’s what they want. I just want continued growth from within us staying together as a collective unit as the season goes along. I think we have a good group that’s going to do that and they’re ready for this opportunity and they’re excited for it.”
Contact Omari Sankofa III at osankofa@freepress.com.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons fully healthy for training camp, ready to get physical
