Head coach JB Bickerstaff of the Detroit Pistons has a poor playoff record that has earned him the reputation of a guy who is not a big game coach.
Fair or not, it is what it is, as Bickerstaff has just a 9-20 record in the playoffs, including a 2-5 mark with the Pistons over the last two seasons.
It’s strange to be talking about this, as Bickerstaff was recently voted Coach of the Year by his peers after taking a team that won 14 games to 60 wins in the span of two seasons.
Bickerstaff has proven he can make a bad team good and change the culture along the way as he has in Detroit, but can he get them over the hump?
JB Bickerstaff just has to win
Only one thing will stop people talking about this narrative, and that’s JB Bickerstaff leading this Pistons team on a deep playoff run. This is not something that can be changed in the regular season, and most everyone agrees that Bickerstaff is a great regular season coach.
The Pistons have to get to the second round and at least make it competitive, or the same old tunes are going to come out this summer when it comes to JB Bickerstaff. I do not think he’ll be on the hot seat, but it will start to get warm-ish if the Pistons flame out early under his watch.
He has a unique chance with this team
Even though the Pistons won 60 games, they were a trendy pick for an early exit, and some even thought the Magic could bounce them in the first round.
That gives coach Bickerstaff a unique chance here, as a deep playoff run will be a reflection of good coaching, not a stacked superteam roster carried by multiple superstars.
If he can take this team deeper than he’s ever been, then coach Bickerstaff will walk away with a lot of the credit.
Even if they lose later in the playoffs, no one will blame him (well, some will no matter what), as this particular team wasn’t expected to be where they are now and has overachieved by most measures.
That won’t be the same next season, when they will enter as one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference regardless of what happens in the playoffs.
Next season will be a ”win or bust” year for Detroit, while they are still playing with house money in this one, so now is the perfect time to change the narrative.
If they don’t, it’s going to be one of the popular refrains of the summer, when we will hear the words “Bridge Coach” about 800 million times, so I hope for JB’s sake, he can shake off these demons and show he’s not just about the regular season.
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