JB Bickerstaff makes same promise, but gets different result

For years, we’ve had coaches come to Detroit and point to the Bad Boys  and the Goin to Work Pistons, specifically referring to the defense that those teams had. And for years, fans just had to roll their eyes because we’ve heard this before. JB Bickerstaff, however, might have actually put his money where his mouth is with this team, defensively. 

JB was known for defense when he was coaching the Cavaliers. When he took over in Cleveland, they were coming off back-to-back years in which they had the worst defense in the NBA with ratings of 116.8 in 2018-2019 and 114 in 2019-2020. JB immediately put his stamp on the team, and turned them into a consistent top-5 squad on the defensive end, coming in as the best defensive team in the NBA in 2022-2023. 

When he came to Detroit, fans were hoping he would do the same. Over the last five seasons, Detroit has had a defensive ranking of 22nd, 19th, 24th, 27th, and 25th. In just about every category, defensive rebounding, steals, blocks, etc., Detroit has bottom of the barrel. The Pistons absolutely lost their tough identity, and pairing their terrible defense with horrendous offense, made for embarrassing records. 

JB Bickerstaff is changing the Pistons' culture

Fast forward to JB’s young tenure here in Detroit, and those stats look to be a thing of the past. Throughout Detroit’s first 13 games, 13 games that consisted almost primarily of playoff-contending teams, JB has the Pistons playing solid defense. Defensive Rating wise, the Pistons are currently 14th in the NBA with a rating of 111.8 (league average is around 113). Just take a look at the following ratings compared to the rest of the NBA. 

• 4th in defensive rebounds with 35.4 per game
• 5th in defensive rebounding percentage per game with 73.3%
• 9th in blocks per game
• 3rd in opponents 2nd chance points
• 9th in opponent FG%

The potential was always there. Cade, a 6-foot-6 guard showed some defensive ability during his rookie year. Ivey is one of the quickest players in the NBA. Isaiah Stewart has the physicality and motor to keep up with anyone to pair with elite rim protecting. And Detroit thrives off of defensive, high energy teams. After multiple different coaches claimed to tap into that winning equation, Bickerstaff may have actually done so. 

Oh, not to mention that the Pistons have been playing without potential All-NBA Defensive player Ausar Thompson. Add him to the mix and Bickerstaff may have built a top-10 defense in his first season.