No hoodies during practice: J.B. Bickerstaff plans to create new culture in young Pistons team resorting to old-school methods
After being dismissed by the Cleveland Cavaliers this offseason, J.B. Bickerstaff was not out of a job for long. He is already beginning to instill a new culture with the Detroit Pistons, starting with a dress code in practice.
Earlier this week, news surfaced that Bickerstaff has laid out firm rules on what players can wear in practice. The Pistons coach has decided that players cannot wear hoodies or jewelry during workouts as those items are prohibited in games.
When breaking down his reasoning behind this decision, J.B. Bickerstaff opened up about his old-school mindset of the game. Overall, he wants players to prepare behind the scenes in a similar environment to games.
“Just the last shred of that old-school mentality,” Bickerstaff said. “Just growing up with my dad (longtime NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff), you don’t wear anything on your head during the game. You don’t wear jewelry. You practice how you play.”
Bickerstaff replaced Monty Williams as head coach of the Pistons following the latter's firing after just one year on the job. During his brief tenure, Williams led Detroit to the worst record in the NBA (14-68). Now, Bickerstaff finds himself with a young core eager to make strides to being a competitive team in the Eastern Conference.
J.B. Bickerstaff is confident he can help Detroit Pistons advance in their rebuild
Before joining the Detroit Pistons, J.B. Bickerstaff spent five years as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. In that time, he helped transform them from a 22-win team to a 51-win team that won a playoff series. This track record likely played a part in the Pistons seeking him out after parting ways with Monty Williams.
With the Pistons, Bickerstaff finds himself with a young core loaded with interesting talent. At the top is former No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham, followed by guys like Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson.
When looking ahead to this season, J.B. Bickerstaff expressed confidence in being able to help the Pistons make strides forward. He feels the team has already put in place systems to help its young players succeed and develop.
“We feel like we have a formula that helps players,” Bickerstaff said. “All we’re trying to do is implement that formula to let all of our guys be successful. It’s not just about the one guy. If we’re going to get to where we want to go with this group, we have to develop everybody and help everybody be able to play with that confidence.”
Having not made the playoffs since 2019, the Pistons are eager to make any sort of advance in their rebuild. In the short time he's taken over the coaching staff, Bickerstaff seems to be putting the pieces in place for the organization to get back on track.