New Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff goes on 'Road Trippin'' podcast: What he said

New Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff goes on ‘Road Trippin” podcast: What he said

Posted by Admin August 9, 2024 NBA

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J.B. Bickerstaff is eager for the opportunity to lead the Detroit Pistons’ young core.

The new Pistons coach said the opportunity to jump right back into coaching with Detroit was a “no-brainer” on a podcast appearance with former NBA players Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye and host Allie Clifton on Wednesday. He said it was a good chance to work with and develop a young core built around point guard Cade Cunningham.

“I just thought the situation was awesome to be honest with you,” Bickerstaff said on the “Road Trippin'” podcast. “I hadn’t planned on getting back in as quickly as I did because there were no jobs open. But as soon as (Pistons president of basketball operations) Trajan (Langdon) reached out, like the conversations I had with him, it just put me in a place where I thought, I was just confident he was going to be able to lead us and help build something that’s going to be special.”

Langdon was hired by the Pistons this offseason to overhaul the franchise’s rebuild after stalling at the bottom of the league for the last four years under former general manager Troy Weaver. The Pistons tore things down to the studs under Weaver, but didn’t show signs of progress last season despite having a healthy Cunningham alongside former top picks Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Stewart and Ausar Thompson.

The new president landed on Bickerstaff, who coached the Cleveland Cavaliers the last 4½ seasons before being fired after losing in the second round of the 2024 playoffs, as the coach to take over the development plans and get the most out of the young Pistons players in the future.

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He said he feels comfortable as a coach in situations like the Pistons are currently in, working with a young team trying to develop, similar to his last stop in Cleveland. He replaced John Beilein as an interim coach for a young, bad Cavaliers team and helped turn them into a consistent playoff team in the Eastern Conference.

“I think guys want to know why and I try to do my best to not to talk at people but explain exactly why we do what we do,” Bickerstaff said when asked why he thinks he is a good coach for young players. “I think the Cleveland experience, and all the experiences, … they allow you to grow and continue to learn. And what you learn in the NBA is there is no way you skip steps. So as we are working our way to where we want to go, we’re not jumping forward everything that’s in front of us — we’re just building.”

[ MUST WATCH: Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Detroit Pistons podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live/on demand on YouTube. ]

He praised Cunningham’s skillset as a hub of the offense that can lift the players around him and Duren as a player who has the potential to be more than just what he showed in his first two NBA seasons.

“I think both of them are extremely talented,” Bickerstaff said. “Cade’s size and his ability to get to his spot, never gets sped up. He’s always even-keeled. He’s one of those guys, you can tell, his teammates just want to be around because he has the ability to make them better. And so, when you have a guy like that who can create his own in fourth quarters, make his type of plays with his size, you can play him at three different positions if you wanted to.

“… And then Jalen Duren, I think we are just scratching the surface with what I think he’s going to be able to do soon.”

Bickerstaff said he was blown away by Duren’s presence when first meeting him, standing at 6 feet 10 and 250 pounds at 20 years old, and what he has shown so far in the NBA.

“I think there’s more there,” Bickerstaff said. “I was watching him a little bit while he was working out. He’s really, really ball-skilled and I don’t think that’s something that we got to see a lot of in the past but he can defensive rebound, push the ball, make plays from the pocket, those types of things.

“So what we are looking forward to. … again what you’re trying to do is help young people reach their potential. That’s the job for us as coaches, that’s the staff we put together (to) help people get better. So when you have foundations and tools like those guys, you got something to work with.”