Apr 26, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson (55) watches his shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the third quarter during game three for the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Pistons New Additions Impressed by Detroit's Tight-Knit Culture

Originally posted on Detroit Pistons on SI
By Kevin McCormick | Last updated Oct 4, 2025 11:35 AM ET

Coming off a historic turnaround that resulted in a playoff berth, the Detroit Pistons became an attractive destination with their core of promising young talent. Upon having the chance to be around the group more, some of the new additions have been impressed by the culture they've built.

In his second offseason running the front office, Trajan Langdon continued to operate in the margins when it came to making adjustments to the Pistons' roster. His main task was filling the voids left by the departures of Dennis Schroder, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Malik Beasley.

Langdon settled on a pair of new veterans to complement Detroit's young core. First, he nabbed Duncan Robinson in a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat. The Pistons secured some much-needed backcourt depth in the form of Caris LeVert.

David Reginek-Imagn Images

Prior to arriving in Detroit, Robinson spent his entire NBA career in Miami being part of "Heat Culture." Despite coming from such a well-run organization, he praised the Pistons for being such a tight-knit and motivated group.

“The connectivity, the camaraderie,” Robinson said when asked his first impression of the Pistons, per NBA.com. “But sometimes you have a close team that’s unserious. This group has a dynamic about it. Willing to have fun, but also able and willing to lock in and take their craft seriously. That’s a dangerous combination. If you’re able to check those boxes, you can be better than the sum of your parts. It’s been refreshing.”

David Reginek-Imagn Images

LeVert is a bit more of a journeyman, having suited up for four different organizations over the past eight years. Nonetheless, he too took the time to praise Detroit's collectiveness.

“This is a team that, you can tell, they want to be around each other,” said LeVert. “You can tell there’s a lot of young, genuine energy and they work extremely hard. They take on the personality of the coach. I think all great teams do that. It’s a joy to be around them. I can’t wait to keep building.”

Remarks like these are a testament to the transformation the organization has gone through in the past 12 months. The array of changes has yielded massive dividends for the team both on and off the court.

This article first appeared on Detroit Pistons on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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