Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff has been a polarizing figure this season with frequent criticism of his rotations and the team's late-game execution. However, he's shoring up these weaknesses recently in a strong stretch for the Pistons even without their best player in Cade Cunningham. Under Bickerstaff's leadership, the Pistons have held up in the clutch and thrived with their rotations since Cade went down.
The Pistons' coaching has been stellar recently
Bickerstaff may even be working his way back into the Coach of the Year race with the Pistons' recent performance. They are showing the depth of their roster and maximizing every player's talents thanks to the strength of coaching. Bickerstaff has led the Pistons to a 5-1 record since his point guard and lead playmaker/scorer suffered an injury. Keep in mind he is doing this with an extremely young team, but keeping them composed under the circumstances.
Although the Pistons still have some flaws, Bickerstaff has done a great job in this stretch of getting them back on track and ready for the playoffs. He's found ways to replace Cade's production by committee with different playmakers and ramping up Jalen Duren's scoring. In addition, he's finding new hidden gems among role players who could be viable in the playoffs too.
Whenever the Pistons dominate a game defensively, Bickerstaff deserves a ton of credit. The team's defensive infrastructure has completely changed since Bickerstaff arrived two years ago. Of course, the players on the court are immensely talented on that end and able to execute the game plan well. But Bickerstaff has set the foundation that puts his players in the best position.
Bickerstaff's ultimate test will come in the playoffs
However, the loudest criticisms of Bickerstaff's coaching have always centered around the playoffs. He's led extremely successful regular-season teams before, especially on the Cavaliers. But his teams regularly disappointed in the playoffs, and it ultimately led to him getting outed by the organization.
Last season, the Pistons did not have any expectations going into the playoffs. Still, they gave the Knicks a fright and came extremely close to a first-round upset. You could argue their late-game executions and rotations cost them the series, but there was no harm for such a young team to lose early in their first postseason appearance.
But the situation is completely different this year. Even with Cade Cunningham currently injured and his status unknown for the playoffs, the Pistons expect to get past the first round and likely advance to the conference finals. Cade's health could impact the second round greatly, but Bickerstaff's coaching will be under a microscope regardless. The Pistons will need Bickerstaff to continue his excellence into the playoffs.