The Detroit Pistons are once again exceeding expectations under coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
After finishing in the top six of the Eastern Conference last season, their 24-8 record this season has them atop the East. But questions remain about their approach at the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Plus, what’s the plan for fourth-year guard Jaden Ivey as he works his way back after an 11-month layoff due to injury?
We’ve got you covered on answers for those questions and more. Let’s unpack. (Questions have been lightly edited for style, clarity and grammar.)
Where do you see the front office’s priority being placed on at the trade deadline: Keep going with the good vibes or push all-in by packaging Tobias Harris’ expiring deal (despite being a locker room favorite) along with a young piece and draft capital for an established borderline star? — Bradley K.
I’m still expecting Detroit’s front office to be opportunistic but not aggressive. The Pistons have a slim lead over the New York Knicks for the No. 1 seed in the conference. Trajan Langdon, Detroit’s president of basketball operations, has openly expressed his desire to let the team continue growing internally since taking over at the beginning of last season.
While there could be some chances to improve around the margins — say another reliable 3-point shooter outside of Duncan Robinson or a scoring threat off the bench — don’t expect the Pistons to sacrifice their youth and draft capital to make any big-swing trades that could alter the fabric of the roster.
I know some fans seem to want Detroit to push all-in, but given how much youth this team has, I just don’t see it as of now. The Pistons have exceeded expectations in two consecutive seasons, and they’re just getting to experiment with what they can become as a healthy unit.
It’s hard to argue with allowing a first-place team the runway to reach its full potential.
Has J.B. spoken about the plan for Ivey? Given his role pre-injury, it seems fairly evident that he’s on a minutes restriction and being eased back in. But is there a timeline of sorts? Is the goal to have him return to the starting lineup? Sixth man? What should we expect moving forward? — Mark C.
Bickerstaff spoke directly to the plan for Ivey ahead of the Pistons’ win over the Sacramento Kings. He said there’s “a plan in place for him to ramp up where he’s comfortable, where he’s confident, so that he can get back to playing the bulk minutes.” Bickerstaff made no mention of a timeline or gave specifics on the details of the plan.
As things stand, it’s safe to assume Ivey will continue to come off the bench for the foreseeable future. Advanced stats, however, support a potential reunion between Ivey and Cade Cunningham as Detroit’s backcourt if Bickerstaff decides to make that move down the road.
Entering Sunday’s game against the LA Clippers, Cunningham and Ivey’s two-man lineup has produced a plus-13.3 net rating during 137 minutes through 16 games played together, per NBA.com. That’s a small sample size, but the two have a better offensive, defensive and net rating than Robinson and Cunningham do as a two-man lineup. But the gravity Robinson boasts and the spacing he provides for Cunningham may be what keeps him in the starting two-guard role for the better part of the season.
This year’s team seems to be better at winning close games than holding big leads. What is the main reason for the blown leads, and are they working on anything specific to counteract this? This seems like the biggest solvable issue this season. —
It all stems from Detroit’s defensive lapses and inability to limit turnovers. The Pistons are at their best when scoring in transition, as evidenced by their 18 fast-break points per game, which rank third in the NBA entering Sunday’s action.
J.B. Bickerstaff watches the action during the Pistons-Mavericks matchup in Dallas earlier this month. (Jerome Miron / Imagn Images)
But their Achilles’ heel this season has been sloppy turnovers and unnecessary fouls. Detroit surrenders 17.4 points off turnovers to its opponents and fouls more than any team in the Association, registering 23.2 per game entering Sunday’s game. The Pistons understand there’s a balance to hanging their hat on defense and establishing themselves as a physical group, but they simply have to start cutting down on fouls and turnovers down the stretch.
Bickerstaff has discussed how closing games properly is a skill acquired through experience. Considering Detroit’s 15 clutch-time wins lead the league, the team has been learning in real time, but the group has acknowledged they have work to do in crunchtime situations to become the team they want to be in the spring.
I’m struck by the sudden change in attitude and results from Monty Williams to J.B. Bickerstaff. Is there a precedent? What is your opinion of why this turnaround happened? — John M.
I wasn’t around for Monty Williams’ tenure, so I can’t speak to the apparent disconnect between him and the players. But being here since Bickerstaff took the reins, it’s all about the buy-in he’s managed to accomplish. Each Pistons player you ask, from Cunningham to the last man on the bench, will tell you Bickerstaff is a coach who knows how to bring the best out of his players.
Bickerstaff has done an outstanding job of allowing players to feel like they’re in a partnership with him rather than it being strictly a coach-player dynamic. He allows them to voice their opinions if they disagree with something he’s seeing. It’s become a mutually beneficial relationship that has enabled the team to play with a sense of freedom that might not have existed under Williams.
Be honest now. Did you have this Pistons success on your bingo card at the beginning of the season? — Ed H.
I’d be lying if I said I did. I thought Detroit would have incremental growth in terms of its record and possibly have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
First in the East and being on pace for roughly 60 wins was something I did not see. Bickerstaff and Langdon have harped on the internal growth they believed was coming with this group, and it’s been on display for the basketball world to marvel at.
Cunningham is tracking for a second All-NBA selection and has elevated himself into MVP conversations. Jalen Duren is on pace for a potential All-Star bid. Ausar Thompson remains one of the league’s best point-of-attack defenders with supreme athleticism. Robinson has been spacing the floor at an elite level. And to top it all off, Detroit has the second-best defense in the NBA.
The Pistons are for real, and I can’t say I expected them to take a leap to this degree.