Head coach JB Bickerstaff has helped rebuild the Detroit Pistons’ defensive identity, but his coaching prowess on that end will be tested next season with a new cast of role players.
The Pistons had the 2nd-best defense in the league last season, but it was ultimately their offense that let them down in the playoffs, as they didn’t have enough variety, shooting or ball handling.
The Pistons added a glut of shooting in the offseason with Isaiah Joe, John Collins, Taurean Prince and by re-signing Kevin Huerter to add to Duncan Robinson.
This gives JB Bickerstaff a problem he didn’t have last season, which is how does he keep shooting on the floor at all times to maximize Cade Cunningham on offense without sacrificing too much on the defensive end.
JB Bickerstaff will be put to the test
Coach Bickerstaff has long been one of the best defensive coaches in the league, but that task will be more difficult next season.
The Pistons lost one of their defensive anchors in Isaiah Stewart and a very smart team defender in Tobias Harris, essentially replacing them with shooters who are not great defenders in Isaiah Joe and John Collins.
Detroit’s problem last season was that they never had more than one good 3-point shooter on the floor at a time, so spacing was difficult to come by.
With Collins, Robinson, Joe, Huerter and Prince, coach Bickerstaff can always keep two shooters on the floor, which should open driving lanes for Cunningham and Ausar Thompson.
The trick will be doing it without sacrificing defense. We’ve talked about the possibility of small-ball lineups, or ones with multiple shooters around Cunningham. But there is a trade-off to having guys like Joe and Robinson on the floor at the same time, and it’s that teams are going to target them defensively.
Coach Bickerstaff has to figure out how to maximize his shooting and space while still keeping enough defense out there to keep the Pistons from getting run off the floor.
Luckily, Ausar Thompson makes that job a lot easier, as he covers a lot of ground and mistakes and can defend all over the court, making matchups a lot easier.
Last season, JB Bickerstaff had to figure out how to squeeze enough offense out of a roster that tilted towards defense, but the opposite will be true next season, as Bickerstaff now has a wealth of shooting but has to get just enough defense out of them for it to be an advantage.
This is a challenge I am sure he will embrace, and in some ways, his job will be easier, as he has a much more versatile mix of shooting and defense than he did last season.
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