Detroit Pistons Playing Looser In Preseason Per Bickerstaff

By any metric, the Detroit Pistons had an active offseason as they sought to bring more three-point shooters into the Motor City, but the squad is uninterested in losing their identity as a tough group during that process. 

For years, Isaiah Stewart served as the team’s heartbeat and defensive anchor in Motown, but the team is transitioning to an era where John Collins steps in during Pistons scuffles, which is exactly what played out during game one against the Phoenix Suns. Early in the first quarter, Collins had a few choice words for Dillon Brooks after receiving a series of borderline-illegal hand checks from the Suns defender earlier in the play, but cooler heads ultimately prevailed from the dust-up.

Then during Detroit’s second preseason contest on Saturday night against the Washington Wizards, Daniss Jenkins was ejected from the ball game after receiving double technicals early in the third quarter. In totality, Jenkins was jawing back and forth with Trae Young, but the confrontation was certainly less heated than Collins’ just one game earlier. 

In a sense, the Pistons are continuing to play with a chip on their shoulder. That type of hard-nosed mentality has made Detroit a difficult group to handle during the ascent over the last two seasons, so head coach J.B. Bickerstaff does not appear to be in the business of diminishing those qualities. 

From a defensive standpoint this preseason, the Pistons have prioritized turnovers and turning those bonus possessions into transition offense heading the other way, which is true to their usual form. But in the process of chasing those fast breaks, Detroit has run into a bit of foul trouble recently as a byproduct of their physicality. Against the Wizards, both Ausar Thompson and Paul Reed fouled out in the second half and contributed a dozen of the Pistons’ 36 personal fouls on the night. 

In the preseason as a whole, Detroit has committed 64 fouls, so there’s a bit of early-season indiscipline to shake off on the Pistons at the moment, though it’s also indicative of the trust that the team has earned from Bickerstaff. By now, the players know what is expected of them from a competitive standpoint, and the Pistons have continued to play looser and more physical during their exhibition slate as a result. 

”It’s a great opportunity,” Bickerstaff said after Saturday night’s loss. “That’s what the preseason is about. These guys have worked their tails off in training camp. They deserve an opportunity to get on the floor. We let them play through a little bit of fouls because we knew the minutes wouldn’t be extended, but again, we gotta do a better job of defending without fouling, don’t put ourselves in that position.”

On average, the Pistons committed 22 fouls per game last season, which was the most in the NBA. So, Detroit is no stranger to sending the other team to the charity stripe, but they’re playing well above that pace through two games of the 2026 preseason. 

In time, the Pistons’ foul rate will level off and regress closer to their typical rate, but it’s worth monitoring whether the influx of new talent in the Motor City will lead to a more (or less) disciplined group overall.