When Trajan Langdon took over the Detroit Pistons as their President, he had a clear vision for the team. He knew a culture reset was sorely needed. Given their improvements this season, it is safe to say the culture has improved and Detroit’s physical nature has yielded positive results.
“After listening to Arn (Tellem), Billy King, and then most importantly to Tom (Gores), I thought what they were lacking is what I could provide in terms of just setting a foundation, building a culture,” Langdon said. “I felt that’s what they felt was important. And that’s what I can provide originally or from the start. And then we started talking more and had a lot of conversations with Tom and just felt that it would be a good fit.”
“We talk a lot about the character of this team that we wanted to put together,” Langdon said. “We have a lot of high character human beings and we wanted to get that grit back. And obviously, the positivity, the passion, the desire to come out and compete and win. It’s a historic franchise that at times has been dominant in this league. And so, to get it back and give the fans what they’ve seen, and to give these players what they want, would be super-meaningful to this franchise right now and also going forward.”
Detroit did not make any splashy moves last offseason. However, they did add a few key role players in Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, and Tim Hardaway Jr. who fit well with their young core. Now, Detroit’s patience with their rebuild process is paying off as they are sixth in the Eastern Conference with a win-loss record of 39-31 as of March 20th, 2025.
The Detroit Pistons Have Been the Best Story of the Season
Led by their young phenom in Cade Cunningham, the Detroit Pistons have become one of the better teams this season. Their grit and physical nature has molded them into a solid young core. This has allowed them to defeat some of the better teams this season. They hustle, play stingy defense, and are willing to fight for extra possessions. Detroit ranks eighth in team defensive rating (111.4), 10th in team blocks (5.3 per game), and are tied for 10th in team offensive rebounds per game (11.3). They also rank eighth in defensive loose balls recovered per game (2.6). Considering these numbers coupled with their newfound success, Trajan Langdon has certainly done a solid job instilling a new culture. They will certainly be a fun team to watch come playoffs.
