ORLANDO, Fla. — By this point, DJ Bakker has been around the NBA long enough to know that his time is at the mercy of someone else. That stranglehold is part of his profession, and also due to how seriously he takes it. On a fall night in Detroit in 2018, with his kids in bed, his duties for the day seemingly checked off, the 30-year-old Pistons player development coach was ready to be a husband.



Until he wasn’t.



It was about 9 o’clock at night and he didn’t think anything was going on so he hopped in the shower. A few minutes later his wife appeared, phone in hand, to hand off his device; it had been buzzing in the other room. With his wife’s arm extended, Bakker peeled back the curtain and poked his head out to see who was on the other end of the call.



It was a player from the Pistons looking to get in a late-night workout. He wanted to shoot.



Can I see you in 20?



Bakker’s pruney...