Forget a Playoff Run -- The Pistons Are Finally on the Right Path

Daniel Waddleton

Apr 2, 2025

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WHEN THE PISTONS fired head coach Monty Williams after just one season, their next hire had to be about more than just X’s and O’s, they needed a cultural reset.

After all, that’s what this city and this franchise were built on. In the team’s golden age -- the early '90s "Bad Boys" Pistons -- gritty toughness and a willingness to do whatever it took to win were the foundation of their identity.

That’s exactly why they hired current head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. He wasn’t brought in because he was the best schematic mind available -- Cleveland had just let him go in favor of a more technically sound coach in Kenny Atkinson. No, Bickerstaff was hired because he knows how to build a culture and earn buy-in from his locker room.

It all started with hoodies and jewelry.

A story by Austin Nivison at CBS Sports from October 15th highlighted Bickerstaff’s first steps toward changing the culture in Detroit. He stopped allowing players to wear their hoodies up during practice, pointing out that if you’re not wearing them during games, you shouldn’t be wearing them in practice. Same with jewelry, if it’s outlawed during games, it’s outlawed in practice too.

“Just the last shred of that old-school mentality,” Bickerstaff said. “Just growing up with my dad, you don’t wear anything on your head during the game. You don’t wear jewelry. You practice how you play.”

This was a small but meaningful first step in Bickerstaff’s culture shift. It might sound minor, but the team bought into these old-school principles, and that mentality soon began translating on the court.

Nowhere was that shift more visible than on the defensive end. After finishing 25th in defensive rating last season, the Pistons now rank ninth, a massive jump, and the best defensive improvement in the league by point differential, improving by 5.7 points per 100 possessions.

The phrase of the season has become “win the trenches.”

It’s not just a slogan, it’s the centerpiece behind everything Bickerstaff demands from his team. There’s no such thing as going through the motions. His coaching style has long fostered a strong player environment, where expectations are clear and defense is non-negotiable.

Two of their best offensive players, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, have made significant strides on the defensive end this season. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it’s happening in Bickerstaff’s first year at the helm.

Former Piston great and current Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups praised Bickerstaff’s impact after a game between the two teams on March 10.

“He has brought them some toughness that they needed,” Billups said. “He holds everybody accountable. That is needed a lot of times in our league. He walks that line where he is going to be on them, and then he lets up a little bit. He develops good relationships with his guys, and it’s paying off.”

High praise from a guy who knows what it takes tow in at the highest level in a Piston uniform.

The Pistons brought this same culture-changing mindset into the 2024 draft, where they used their first-round pick on G League Ignite guard Ron Holland II. Sure, Holland has some untapped potential as an elite downhill attacker, but Detroit’s main attraction was his intensity on the defensive end. With his size, length, and physicality, he projects as a potential lockdown defender, and more importantly, as the heartbeat of a great defensive team thanks to his relentless energy and edge.

Paired with last year’s draft pick Ausar Thompson and fifth-year big man Isaiah Stewart, Holland has helped form a defensive trio that gives this team just a hint of those old Bad Boys teams. Super intense, in-your-face ball pressure, don’t-come-near-the-rim-or-we’ll-knock-you-down energy.

We could put together a highlight reel of these guys looking like they’re ready to throw hands -- but we don’t have to, because as recently as Sunday night, they actually did. In a scuffle against (who else?) the Minnesota Timberwolves, suspensions were handed down to Stewart, Holland, Marcus Sasser, Naz Reid, and Donte DiVincenzo.

After the game, Bickerstaff didn’t exactly condone the behavior -- but he didn’t shy away from it either.

“Obviously things went too far,” Bickerstaff said postgame. “But what you see is guys looking out for one another, guys trying to protect one another, guys trying to have each other’s backs... Those are non-negotiables in our locker room.”

BAAAAD BOYS, BAAAAAAAAD BOYS.

HOWEVER, FOR THERE to be any substantial shift in their win-loss record -- coming off a 14-68 season, the worst in the league -- it would take more than a culture shock and a 19-year-old draft pick. The front office knew they needed to restructure the roster to finally figure out what they had in Cade Cunningham. Despite putting up solid counting stats, Cade had been inefficient, and his production hadn’t translated to wins.

Last season, the Pistons were so devoid of shooting it felt like they were playing games at a park on a windy day. Step one this off-seasons free agency was improving spacing around Cade and finding players who could actually capitalize on the advantages he created. Step two? Add veteran presences -- guys who had been to the playoffs, knew how to win, and could keep the young core accountable.

Detroit’s front office killed two birds with one stone, bringing in veterans Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, and Tim Hardaway Jr. That trio brought 42 combined seasons of NBA experience, 140 playoff games, and three reliable shooters: two career 36% three-point shooters and one who 41% last season (Beasley).

These moves didn’t make ESPN’s feature piece or generate tons of Twitter buzz, but they’ve been instrumental to the Pistons' turnaround. The results speak for themselves: the Detroit Pistons are, yes, 42-33. We mentioned their ninth ranked defense, but they also rank 12th in offense. Last season, they were 27th in offense.

The improved spacing has been huge for Cunningham. We already knew he was one of the better passers in the league, and at 6'6, the playmaking ceiling was always there. But now that he has more room to operate, it’s all starting to come together, especially in pick-and-rolls with Jalen Duren. Those two are averaging 1.52 points per possession on that action, an elite mark. Cunningham’s vision, paired with improved pull-up shooting, has made him a nightmare for defenses with any pick and roll partner.

His Box Creation -- an estimate of how many shots a player creates for teammates per 100 possessions -- is 15.0, good for fifth in the league behind only Nikola Jokic, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Brunson.

Cunningham is having an All-NBA caliber season: 25.7 points (8th in the league), 6.1 rebounds, and 9.2 assists (3rd), on a career-high 55.9% true shooting. Sure, there’s still room for growth -- his efficiency still isn't ideal -- but when you’re tasked with being the centerpiece of everything your team does on offense, a slight dip in efficiency is a fair trade-off for this level of production and impact.

According to the Thinking Basketball database, Cunningham has a load of 57.8, an estimate of how many offensive possessions a player is directly involved in per 100 possessions. The only player ahead of him is LaMelo Ball, at 59.5. He is shouldering an incredible amount of offense burden for this team, and he has them sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference.

It remains to be seen what Cunningham can do in a postseason setting, where some of the weaknesses in his game -- like not always creating separation or his below-average rim finishing -- could rise to the surface.

However, we shouldn’t take too much stock in how this first go-around goes. The Cunningham trajectory is clearly pointing up, and it’ll just be good for him, and this young roster, to get their first taste of postseason experience, something they can build on.

The Pistons will face the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder tonight on ESPN. The network has been running a promo for the game all week, as they often do for ESPN games -- but to see “Playoff Push” in a commercial featuring the Pistons has taken some getting used to.

Yet, we better start getting comfortable with it, because I expect this team to be a postseason mainstay for years to come.