New Pistons Coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s Job: Rebuilding a Losing Team

J.B. Bickerstaff has been named the new head coach of the Detroit Pistons, as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Getty Images. Bickerstaff was previously fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers in May after being eliminated from the playoffs in the second round, and will be the Pistons’ third coach in three seasons.

The move comes amidst a busy offseason for the Pistons, which also saw Trajan Langdon named as the new president of basketball operations and the departure of long-term general manager Troy Weaver. Following these front office changes, the team then fired head coach Monty Williams, who had signed a record-setting six-year, $78.5 million deal in 2023 but only lasted one season.

Bickerstaff will now step in to lead a rebuild that has been ongoing for longer than desired in Detroit. The team has not made the playoffs since 2019 and has only won more than 20 games once in the five seasons since then. After coming off a historically bad 14-68 season that included an NBA-record-setting 28-game losing streak, the Pistons are looking to turn things around under Bickerstaff’s leadership.