Why did the Pistons hire J.B. Bickerstaff? Former Cavaliers head coach lands in Detroit

Why did the Pistons hire J.B. Bickerstaff? Former Cavaliers head coach lands in Detroit

J.B. Bickerstaff has landed a third head-coaching gig just over a month after he was let go by the Cavaliers.

The Pistons have reportedly hired the former Cleveland head coach to the same role in Detroit, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, replacing Monty Williams who was fired after only one season following a massive six-year, $78.5 million contract.

Bickerstaff is stepping into a Piston team in the developmental stage of its rebuild. The Pistons have won no more than 23 games in a single season over the past five years, and have won 65 or more in each of the past two campaigns.

He was fired by the Cavaliers after five years at the helm. The Cavs reached the playoffs in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, but advanced out of just one series during the two trips to the postseason.

Here's what you need to know about the Pistons' decision to hire Bickerstaff.

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Why did the Pistons hire J.B. Bickerstaff?

The Pistons need a head coach to develop the young talent on their roster. Bickerstaff could be just the coach for the job.

The developmental stage is certainly a familiar role for Bickerstaff, whose first full season with Cleveland came in 2020-21 as the team looked to build around young standouts Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro and Jarrett Allen. The team then drafted Evan Mobley the next offseason to add him to the core.

Each year under Bickerstaff, that young core showed progression. Garland enjoyed an All-Star campaign in 2021-22 as he emerged as one of the league's top young point guards. Mobley finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2021-22. Allen was also named to his first All-Star campaign that season.

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The Cavaliers went from 22-50 in Bickerstaff's first year as the full-time head coach to 44-38 in his second. Cleveland then traded for Donovan Mitchell ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. The Cavaliers showed another step in their upward trajectory, going 51-31. Mobley was named to the 2022-23 All-Defensive team, Garland had his second straight year averaging 20-plus points per game and Mitchell flourished with his best year as a pro, finishing sixth in MVP voting and averaging a career-best 28.3 points per game.

Cleveland appeared to continue on its upward trajectory midway through the 2023-24 season, but injuries and underperformances landed Cleveland at a 48-34 record. The Cavaliers dodged a disastrous first-round playoff exit to the Magic by winning in seven games, but were promptly beaten in five by eventual champion Boston.

Playoff performances marred the end of the Bickerstaff era in Cleveland. But that's not why the Pistons are hiring him. They're hiring him so he can orchestrate a similar turnaround to another young, upstart roster.

The Pistons have plenty of standout talent on the roster, led by Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, who figure to be franchise fixtures. The team also drafted Ron Holland II fifth overall to continue to bolster that core.

Williams was unable to get the most out of that group in 2023-24 as the team finished with the worst record in the NBA. Bickerstaff will now give it a try to see if he has any better luck at developing them into the next standout Pistons team.

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J.B. Bickerstaff head coaching record

This will be Bickerstaff's third time as a full-time head coach and the fourth different team overall in which he held the head-coaching gig in some capacity.

Bickerstaff had assistant coaching roles with the Bobcats, Timberwolves and Rockets. When Houston head coach Kevin McHale was fired in November 2015, Bickerstaff became the interim head coach for the remaining 71 games of the season.

He then moved to be an assistant coach with the Grizzlies. David Fizdale was fired in November 2017, and Bickerstaff coached the final 63 games of the campaign as the interim. He was named the Memphis head coach for the 2018-19 season, but was let go by the club after the team went 33-49.

Bickerstaff was brought on as the Cavaliers associated head coach in 2019-20, and when John Beilein resigned in February 2020, Bickerstaff was moved up to be the new head coach, avoiding his third interim tag. He held that role for four full seasons before being let go.

* - Interim