Even though the Detroit Pistons overachieved this season by winning 60 games and claiming the top spot in the Eastern Conference, another loss will lead to a loud conversation about JB Bickerstaff.
It’s nuts to think that the head coach who took the Pistons from 14 wins to 60 in two seasons and was voted as Coach of the Year by his peers could be on the hot seat this summer, but if the Pistons lose this first round series against the Magic, that is precisely where he will be.
The Pistons will be patient, but it won’t last forever
Coming into this series, the idea of JB Bickerstaff being let go after this season was unthinkable and that hasn't really changed. I don’t think there is a scenario where coach Bickerstaff gets fired after this season, and the fans may be far ahead of the franchise when it comes to that narrative.
Expectations for the playoffs changed after the Pistons’ success this season, but coming into this year, no one expected Detroit to win 60 games and many had them pegged to take a small step back after they were unable to retain key veterans last offseason.
Instead, they won 16 more games this year, and a lot of credit has to be given to JB Bickerstaff. Not only did he figure out a way to maximize a wonky roster, but he changed the entire culture, as Detroit was in a bad way before he showed up.
I do think coach Bickerstaff will be given a chance to see it through with this group regardless of what happens this season, but that patience won’t last forever.
JB Bickerstaff’s playoff record is concerning
The biggest knock against JB Bickerstaff is that he hasn’t had much success in the playoffs, which has led some to call him a “bridge” coach, meaning a guy who can make a bad team good but will eventually have to go if you want to win a title.
Bickerstaff is just 10-21 in the playoffs in his career and 2-6 with the Pistons over the last two seasons. I usually ignore all of this “championship coach” talk, as every coach was once a guy who hadn’t won a title. No one is a championship coach until they are.
It only takes one deep playoff run or a title to change perceptions forever, just ask Doc Rivers, who has been living off the title he won in 2008 for nearly two decades and hasn’t had much success since.
But results are all that matter for JB Bickerstaff, and there have been some troubling red flags. He hasn’t been able to crack the Orlando defense in any meaningful way or find ways to get Jalen Duren involved.
The Pistons’ half-court offense has been stifled and uncreative, and coach Bickerstaff can’t figure out the right combinations of bench players, leading to the abomination of a lineup we saw to open the 4th quarter in game three.
These are the same critiques coach Bickerstaff has faced for his entire career and will continue to until he makes a deep playoff run. He’ll get his chance with the Pistons, but another loss will turn up the heat under JB.
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