The Detroit Pistons held an introductory press conference welcoming their new head coach JB Bickerstaff to the franchise. President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon joined Bickerstaff as he fielded questions from the Detroit media. The 45-year-old head coach described the new opportunity of creating a winning environment with the Pistons as a ‘fun situation'.
“A lot of people talk about development and we throw that word around a lot of times. One of things us as coaches did for so long was the development only the impacted individuals,” Bickerstaff stated. “Where we aim to go is where the development impacts winning, and how do we make them better winners. This is going to be a fun situation. I’m sure there will be ups and downs, but by the end of the season you’ll see a style of play and you’ll recognize Pistons basketball.”
Bickerstaff previously led the Cleveland Cavaliers to prominence as their head coach from 2020 until 2024. Cleveland finished 170-159 in three-and-a-half seasons during Bickerstaff's tenure. They made promising postseason strides from the play-in tournament into a second-round series loss to the NBA champion Boston Celtics. With the Pistons, however, Bickerstaff made it clear the team is committed to not rushing or chasing lofty expectations too quick.
“There’s no timeline because every situation is different. Our aim is to continue to get better as the season goes on. But stylistically you’ll be able to see clearly what we’re trying to do and I’m sure of that because our guys are the quality of people in the high character that buy into what we’re trying to do,” Bickerstaff explained. “Wins and losses are something that come on their own timeline. So we’re not going to sit here and promise you this amount of wins, but we can promise you that our guys are going to compete their tails off and play selfless basketball and do the dirty things that it takes to win basketball games and that’ll be the Pistons brand.”
JB Bickerstaff's vision of the backcourt
One of the most important factors for the Pistons' development is the growth of their starting backcourt between Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. Both players are first-round selections and Cunningham officially inked his rookie max extension to stay in Detroit for five more years.
The young backcourt duo has yet to start an entire season with each other. Injuries and questionable lineup changes have limited their ability to develop a rhythm with one another. Bickerstaff raved about the chance to coach the team's franchise point guard up to his potential.
“I think he’s a stud. I don’t think there’s a lot that he can’t do on the basketball floor with his size, his ability to see the floor, his ability to create shots,” Bickerstaff spoke. “Our focus is making him one of the best two-way players in this league. Obviously last season was difficult for everybody, himself included. He wants to be a part of what takes the Pistons to the next level so the excitement that he brought you know that helps my energy level I hope and you’ll see as a season goes by. There won’t be tough times for anybody cause somebody’s always going to be there to pick them up. I think he has shown that leadership and then add his talent on top of it. You got a guy with a chance at being really special.”
Ivey has also shown promise as a building block with the Pistons. Bickerstaff stated he likes the idea of staggering lineups with Ivey and Cunningham always on the floor similar to how he did with the Cleveland backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. He also explained the benefits of Ivey's game that can help Detroit.
“I think there's just a natural speed and athleticism that’s hard to deal with in this league. You know the way the rules are set up, the way teams are spacing the floor, the tempo that people want to play at, he’s going to be extremely difficult to guard,” Bickerstaff explained. “One of the things that he has the ability to do is just put a ton of foul pressure on people. I think his speed gives you an advantage to do that. One of the things that I’m looking forward to seeing him do is catch the ball on the move. I'm really looking forward to working with him.”
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