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The Detroit Pistons are optimistic after their activity at the NBA trade deadline. President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon spoke to the media about the acquisition of Dennis Schroder and Lindy Waters III at the NBA trade deadline. The Pistons scooped up the two veteran guards as a part of the Jimmy Butler deal to the Golden State Warriors. Langdon was confident about the moves to bring in the backcourt guards they brought in for Detroit.
“We're excited about the two additions to our team. We're getting two guys, I think, who are high-character human beings that kind of have the same edge that we want here. They compete between the lines, they know how to play, and they're good people,” Langdon stated. “I think Dennis has gone through a lot with movement. I had a couple of conversations with him yesterday. He's excited to be here, and I think both will help us not only this year but maybe a chance going forward as well.”
The Pistons found themselves in a position where they needed to add another creator on offense after losing shooting guard Jaden Ivey to a leg injury. Opponents have focused more attention on blitzing All-Star guard Cade Cunningham to force turnovers or get the ball out of his hands. Langdon said he wanted to find that fix to help the team's backcourt and he believes they found that in Schroder.
Schroder has been averaging 14.4 points and 5.5 assists in his 12th season in the NBA. The 6-foot-1 point guard is 31 years old with plenty of postseason experience to help the young Pistons in the middle of a playoff push. Schroder is joining this team with some familiarity with the team already with veteran guard Malik Beasley.
“To add Dennis Schroder is huge for our team. I've known him since I was in high school. I lived in Atlanta so when he was on the Hawks, he took me to his house. And we used to play on the Lakers together,” Beasley said to the media. “I'm excited, we're going to turn it up to get to the playoffs. He's a hard worker, grit and grind guy. He's picking up 94-feet. It feels like a family member coming over here.”
Schroder's play fits as an experienced veteran who can lead the bench unit as a reserve. His versatility on offense and defense can also mesh well when staggered with the starters. That influence can also carry over to the development of young players like Marcus Sasser, Ron Holland II, Ausar Thompson, and others.
Langdon said that Schroder still needed to pass his physical before being activated. He will not make his debut tonight for the Pistons against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Keeping core in tact was priority for Trajan Langdon
The NBA trade deadline can sometimes cause the separation of important pieces to improve the roster. Langdon saw the budding chemistry of the team and didn't want to jeopardize that cohesiveness when making the necessary changes.
“We didn't want to disturb our team. We didn't want to disturb our style of play. The people and players that we brought in we wanted to fit that way we were playing seamlessly,” Langdon expressed. “Also, the locker room is important. Somebody in our front office said we're probably a top-five locker room in terms of how these guys get along. It has played an important part to our success this season. We thought about a lot of those things in making these decisions.”
Langdon and the Pistons have maintained their position on not wanting to rush steps, even with the postseason in sight. He also stated how Ivey's injury impacted some plans that were discussed. However, the winning success afterward helped maintain his confidence in keeping the young core together. There was even a report that the Los Angeles Lakers reached out for the availability of center Jalen Duren. Detroit opted to turn down the discussion and keep their young big man with the Pistons.
The new front office for the Pistons seems to be working in sync with one another. Langdon even confirmed that he spoke with Cunningham about the direction of the franchise during the deadline activity. Having trust and chemistry in place between the front office and franchise player shows the significant growth made by the Pistons organization.
