Normally you wouldn't expect a coach coming off a 60-win season to have good chances at winning Coach of the Year the following season. But JB Bickerstaff will have that rare luxury thanks to additions for other East teams this offseason. In the process, the Pistons have become underrated and can finally grant Bickerstaff his rightful award by having another strong regular season.
Bickerstaff and the Pistons can surprise everyone again
For two straight seasons, Bickerstaff has finished as the runner-up in COTY voting. In his first season with the Pistons, he orchestrated a historic turnaround as the team went from 14 wins the prior season to 44 in 2025. Then, he took the team to another level last season with 60 wins and the top seed in the East.
But both times, Bickerstaff was spurned of the prestigious honor by other surprise candidates. Last season, it went to Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics despite winning 5 fewer games than the prior season (56 vs 61). However, Mazzulla got credit for keeping Boston afloat without star Jayson Tatum and some other key losses from the prior year.
Next season, the Pistons are expected to drop a lot of wins as the East sees a huge influx of talent towards top teams, either via trade or injury returns. Detroit itself has also lost some key contributors from last season. All these factors are playing out to give Bickerstaff a perfect platform to display his coaching brilliance.
If he can guide the Pistons to another season near the top of the East, he should get recognition as a consistently great coach and possibly lead the award race. That sentiment will ring especially true if Detroit continues to win with Bickerstaff's strengths, such as their strong defense that still has room to improve.
Detroit needs to prove itself in the East
There's understandably a lot of question marks about the Pistons after last season, since they struggled mightily in the playoffs for a first seed. The unspectacular offseason only raised more concerns, especially with Jalen Duren remaining unsigned. However, the Pistons' constants between Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Bickerstaff's excellent defensive schemes are being overlooked.
One season with a top record, especially in a conference missing Tatum and now-Miami star Giannis Antetokounmpo for most of the season, could be a fluke. But if the Pistons can finish with a top-three record again in 2027, they deserve their flowers and should see love in the awards ballots.
It's often tiresome to see the national media consistently underrate teams like the Pistons, but that effect can also pay off down the road. Bickerstaff can be the most obvious beneficiary if his team outperforms preseason expectations for a third year in a row.
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