Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been instrumental in turning the franchise around
Through just over a quarter of the regular season, the Detroit Pistons have announced themselves as contenders to the rest of the NBA with a 19-5 record and a franchise record-tying 13-game win streak along the way.
As expected, the Pistons bring a brash dose of physical defense to the table this season and combine that tenacity with an up-tempo attack on offense. Detroit ranks top five in defense and top 10 in offense this year, and that’s quite indicative of what the key for the Pistons has been lately– balance.
With head coach J.B. Bickerstaff in charge, the Pistons use their hard-nosed defense to cause turnovers that can be used to spark transition offense. So, in the trust sense of the phrase, defense helps set up the offense in Motown, and the Pistons have played complimentary basketball as a result.
But in taking that balance a step further, Bickerstaff applies an equal amount of focus to each segment of the game. On offense, Bickerstaff is just as concerned with his point guard’s decision making as he is with an off-ball wing player’s screen setting on the weak side of a play. Each player has a role to play, and Bickerstaff knows that it’s his job to elevate each position in concert.
“I think he has a great understanding of both frontcourt position and backcourt,” Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham said after beating the Milwaukee Bucks 124-112 last Saturday. “He's helped me a lot as far as in our system what looks can be there and what ways I can manipulate the game and stuff, ways I can help get guys involved. But I think he has the same amount of savvy from a big spot too, which a lot of times I think people are one or the other. I think he just has a great feel for the game overall, what guys need and what the team needs. So, he does a great job of explaining it, translating things to us in terms that we can understand and he has a great system in place where we already want to compete at a high level and execute.”
During his 20 years in the NBA, Bickerstaff has learned that all five players need to be in lockstep in order for success to follow on the court, and his relentless attention to detail has been key to the Pistons’ early-season success. Bickerstaff does not let his players off the hook, and that’s a quality that not every team is ready to accept.
But Detroit has fostered a culture of accountability. From the top of the organization to the bottom, from Cade Cunningham all the way down the ladder, the Pistons are committed to doing the little things right in hopes that the big aspects will fall in line as a result. And through 24 games, that recipe is paying dividends in the Motor City, but the squad has long-term ambitions that include a deep postseason run after returning to the playoffs last year, ending a five-year absence.
At the moment, the Pistons have been resting up over the past couple days after their elimination from the NBA Cup. The Pistons opened up to a 2-0 start in the mid-season tournament, but dropped consecutive cup contests to bow out from the event and will return to action on Friday, Dec. 12 against the Atlanta Hawks at 7 pm.
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