Trajan Langdon pursued other executive roles in Washington and Charlotte before the Pistons hired him as head of basketball operations last spring, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
Detroit has since shown significant improvement, moving from a 14-win season to a 38-31 record.
Langdon, initially cautious about joining a struggling team, was drawn to the Pistons’ young talent and connections with Vice Chairman Arn Tellem and advisor Billy King.
“I felt that’s what they felt was important,” Langdon said, citing his ability to build a foundation and culture.
One of Langdon’s first moves was hiring coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who was impressed by Langdon’s vision.
“His personality, character, and plan were the most important thing to me,” Bickerstaff said, highlighting their collaborative relationship.
Langdon revamped the roster with trades and free-agent signings, including Tim Hardaway Jr., Malik Beasley, and Tobias Harris, and drafted Ron Holland.
Despite a rough start, the Pistons are now on pace for a 32-win improvement, the largest in franchise history.
Langdon praised the team’s character, saying, “We have a lot of high character human beings and we wanted to get that grit back.”
He expressed the importance of bringing success to a historic franchise and satisfying both fans and players.
Trajan Langdon Explains Remarkable Turnaround In Detroit https://t.co/UyRWElIctA pic.twitter.com/GknhltsMEE
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