Pistons must focus on NBA free agency for shooting help
Trajan Langdon.
New President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon and his Detroit Pistons had a massive need from deep heading into the 2024 NBA Draft.
Out of the four players that could be considered part of the "core" of what is left over from the mess that former general manager Troy Weaver built, only one of those players — former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham — is a threat to score from the three-point line, and even he shot just 35.5 percent from deep in 2023-24.
The Pistons need reliable deep threats to survive in today's NBA climate, but Langdon decided to get yet another raw athlete in the draft, selecting 18-year-old wing Ron Holland II from the G League Ignite with the fifth pick.
Holland is explosive, athletic and ticks a lot of boxes as a young player with a ton of upside, but he shot just 23.9 percent from the three-point line for the Ignite and he has a ton of work to do before he can be considered a reliable starter for a real, playoff-worthy team.
The good news for Langdon and the Pistons is that this is officially a tear-down rebuild, so there is time for Holland to develop.
The bad news? The Pistons are still entering 2024-25 with no shooting around Cunningham, and that's a problem that they must solve in free agency.
With $64 million in cap space this summer, the Pistons do have some cash to lure in a few players. The question is whether or not those players will want to be a part of a major rebuild that likely won't even lead to a play-in spot next season. The money will be there for Langdon, though, but he needs to focus on finding at least one or two starting-caliber players who can shoot the rock.
Options?
Well, let's just assume that Paul George, LeBron James and James Harden aren't coming to Detroit. Those are the three "big" names presumed to hit the market, but it would be a miracle if they ended up Pistons.
Other options could be Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (who has shot over 40 percent from three the last two seasons) but would he want to come back to Detroit? Klay Thompson is a renowned shooter from deep, but he's used to competing for championships and is on the back nine of his career.
Tobias Harris is another former Piston who has been linked to Detroit this offseason but he only shoots 36.8 percent from deep. Malik Beasley could be interesting after he shot 41.3 percent for the Milwaukee Bucks last season, but throughout his soon-to-be 11-year NBA career, he's a 38.5% shooter from downtown.
The point? The options are limited, but Langdon has to do something to shore this team up from behind the three-point line.
If he can't do it, though, it could end up being another long season for a once proud franchise.
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