JB Bickerstaff and the Detroit Pistons have relied upon development from young players this season, including in the playoffs, where one of his core philosophies has really paid off.
After having a poor first round against Orlando, Daniss Jenkins has bounced back and been one of the Pistons’ most important players in the first two games against Cleveland. He’s hitting big shots, taking care of the ball, playing great defense, and surprisingly pulling down a ton of rebounds.
He doesn’t look like the same guy who was overwhelmed and sped up at times against Orlando in a series that might have gotten a lot of guys benched.
Ron Holland II was benched against Orlando, and it looked as though we might not see him again in the playoffs after a couple of bad defensive possessions landed him in JB Bickerstaff’s doghouse.
But he too has been big in this series against Cleveland so far, especially in game two, when he was forced into defending Donovan Mitchell when Ausar Thompson had to sit with foul trouble.
Both of these players stayed ready and stayed confident through the struggles, and JB Bickerstaff deserves a lot of credit.
Coach Bickerstaff has faith in his guys
When asked about his trust in Daniss Jenkins after the two-way guard struggled early in the playoffs, coach Bickerstaff responded, “Young players don’t develop if they don’t feel that belief and trust in them.”
It would have been easy for Bickerstaff to go away from Jenkins in the first series or to leave Holland rotting on the bench, but that hasn’t been JB’s style all season, so he wasn’t about to change.
Unlike Monty Williams, who benched young players instead of coaching them up, coach Bickerstaff has used failures as teaching moments (especially with Holland) and continued to show confidence in his players that is now paying off.
It’s easy for young players to lose confidence, especially in the playoffs, but it’s also easy for them to get it back if they have a coach who isn’t always standing over their shoulders with the hook.
He’s found the balance between letting guys play through some mistakes, but using them as teaching moments, which has built their confidence throughout the season and helped them develop.
It also builds trust, as players can see that if they listen and work hard, they will get their chances with JB, and you aren’t doomed by one bad game or bad play.
It’s a big reason the Pistons were able to get two wins at home, as both young guys stepped up.
This is also true of Jalen Duren, who struggled against the Magic, but has bounced back to be a key part of their last three wins.
This is one of the reasons the Pistons extended coach Bickerstaff, as he has his player’s trust and they have his, which is not an easy relationship to replicate.
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