Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff has catapulted to the lead in the Coach of the Year race with the Pistons' strong start. Not only are the Pistons winning games by any means necessary, they are also doing so on the back of role player contributions. Bickerstaff has proven capable of leading the team to win in any circumstances, even with major parts of his rotation missing.
Bickerstaff has established a winning culture and system
The Pistons are riding a 9-game win streak that is the franchise's best in 17 seasons. This would be impressive enough with a full roster, but the Pistons are doing this even while missing many of their starters in the last few games. The past two games in particular have been surprising wins; both Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren had to sit out with injuries.
In their stead, other players further down the depth chart have stepped up. The Pistons have gotten career-best performances from players like Daniss Jenkins and Paul Reed while maintaining their strong defense. Even while battling injuries, the team has kept up their energy and swagger on the court, which the coaching staff deserves credit for.
Bickerstaff has turned the Pistons' culture around since joining the team before last season. He led the team to a historic turnaround and tripled their win total in his first season. He finished second in Coach of the Year voting, losing out to his replacement in Cleveland: Kenny Atkinson.
Bickerstaff was applauded for taking a terrible team to a competitive level, but Atkinson received the highest award by taking a competitive Cavaliers team to a dominant regular season. Now, Bickerstaff is pushing the Pistons to make that same leap. It's clear not only in their win-loss record, but also the team's confidence on the court and the manner of the wins.
The Pistons are finding wins in every situation, whether it's scrapping out shorthanded victories or blowing out bad teams when they have good health. Last season's close wins are turning into dominant wins and last season's close losses are now turning into clutch wins. This change has come from roster-wide improvements and resilience throughout games. The Pistons have fallen behind by double digits in nearly every game so far, but have frequently battled back to take the lead by staying strong in the face of adversity.
Bickerstaff was arguably the best and most impactful coach in the NBA last season, but was still criticized for his team's play in clutch situations and playoff shortcomings. So far this season, he's shown personal and team improvements from last season that have quickly translated to wins. The Pistons have dominated the regular season and look better prepared for the playoffs, thanks to Bickerstaff's continued excellence.