Monty Williams has been the bane of Detroit Pistons fans after all, Williams led the Pistons to the worst season in franchise history at 14-68 putting Detroit 50 games back in the standings. New president of basketball operations, Trajan Langdon has indicated Monty Williams will return as head coach.
First of all the sky is not falling and Langdon might be right in bringing Williams back, no really. The Pistons roster last season was not good and performed as such. The team hired shooting guru Fred Vinson who has worked with a who’s who of NBA players helping shooting.
So what seems to be the thought process, improve the roster, improve shooting, and start making a move in the standings. With the No. 5 pick in the draft and $65M in cap space, Langdon can improve the roster.
The reason Williams should have another chance is simply because a better roster and a highly regarded assistant coach could very well make a big difference for a Pistons team desperate to gain traction on a rebuild.
Detroit has not made the playoffs since 2018-19 and this was not going to be a quick fix given the mess Troy Weaver left. Owner Tom Gores said that he would eat the rest of Williams’s $80M contract if that is what Langdon wanted but Williams who enjoyed some success with the Phoenix Suns appears to have been given a longer leash.
Trajan Langdon does not like talking to the media so it is difficult to fully grasp what his thought process is by retaining Williams. But there does seem to be a plan in place.
