Trajan Langdon, the new Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations, was clear about what his offseason priorities were in building the roster — add shooting and spacing around Cade Cunningham.
With the additions of Tobias Harris in free agency and Tim Hardaway Jr. in a trade, the Pistons have accomplished that goal. Not that either player is an elite marksman from deep. Harris shot a modest 35% from deep last season and 36.9% during his six seasons in Philadelphia. Tim Hardaway also connected on 35% of his treys last season, and shot 37% in six years in Dallas.
However, it might have been owner Tom Gores in his press availability with local media at Landgon’s introductory press conference, who hinted at the to-that-point unspoken priority of the offseason and what appealed most about the opportunities to add Harris and Hardaway this offseason.
They play.
“We have to have free agents who play,” Gores said bluntly. “Last year, we had some free agents, and they just didn’t play. … We can’t have so much money sitting on the bench.”
The new additions might not be elite marksmen, but they are very close to ironmen.
As Ben Golliver, NBA writer at the Washington Post, says, “The best ability is availability.”
Harris played 70 games last season and has only missed more than three consecutive games one time since the 2015-16 season. That was a six-game stint in 2021 after entering the league’s health and safety protocols.
In the past nine seasons, Harris has averaged 2,491 minutes played. The Pistons haven’t had a veteran player match Harris’ average since Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin each played over 2,600 minutes in 2018-19. The only other player to approach Harris’ total was Saddiq Bey. Tim Hardaway Jr. isn’t quite as prolific as Harris, but he has also played more than 1,800 minutes in seven of the past eight seasons.
Last year’s “big” new additions, Joe Harris and Monte Morris played just 16 and 6 games, respectively.
The Pistons were already way too reliant on its young core to carry them last season, and when the few veterans are either too injured or too ineffective to play, that. put already overwhelmed players in positions of sure failure. Bojan Bogdanovic also missed the first 19 games of the season and first saw the floor when his team was already 2-17.
Harris and Hardaway will make a combined $42 million next season. If history is any guide, the Pistons will get rotation-level production and league-average efficiency and a high volume of threes from Hardaway, and quality all-around production at a good starter level from Harris. They will also play over 4,000 minutes of basketball.
To put a finer point on it, By Nov. 30, Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. had played 1,099 minutes and were combining for 33 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and shooting 12.3 three-pointers per game.
In that same span, the combination of Joe Harris, Monte Morris, and Bojan Bogdanovic combined for 3.4 points, 1.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and shooting 2.7 threes per game, and collectively played 98 minutes.
Anyone can quibble with the amount being paid to Harris or the trade return on Harris, but the appeal is obvious. The ability for the Pistons to put 4,000 minutes, 24 shots, above-average efficiency and the spacing that goes with it, and write it in marker.
That is fundamental to developing young players because it surrounds them with not just competence but the kind of reliability that will allow them to fit into roles they can excel in and not be forced into playing beyond their abilities.