The Detroit Pistons have quickly found their next head coach.
Just 11 days after firing Monty Williams, the Pistons are reportedly hiring former Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff to be the franchise’s next head coach, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Bickerstaff and Detroit reportedly agreed to terms on a five-year contract. The Pistons’ move comes after Bickerstaff was relieved of his duties as the Cavaliers’ coach in May, despite the franchise advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The son of longtime NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff, J.B. began his NBA coaching career as an assistant with the Charlotte Hornets during the 2004-05 season. He spent three seasons in Charlotte before taking assistant coaching positions with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets.
Bickerstaff first stepped into the head coach’s seat back in the 2015-16 season after the Rockets fired then-coach Kevin McHale. The Pistons’ job will be Bickerstaff’s fourth stint as an NBA head coach, as he also coached the Memphis Grizzlies for two seasons prior to taking the Cavaliers’ post.
In 545 career games as a head coach, Bickerstaff has compiled a 255–290 record. He led the Cavaliers through a rebuild, helping to improve the team by 22 wins from the 2020-21 season to the 2021-22 campaign, then helped them make the postseason in consecutive seasons.
Now, Bickerstaff will be tasked with leading a Pistons team coming off the worst season in franchise history, which saw the team win just 14 games, and at one point, lose an NBA record 28 straight contests.
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