Mar 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff talks to guard Cade Cunningham (2) in the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Cade Cunningham Speaks on Pistons Coach’s ‘Amazing’ Approach

Originally posted on Detroit Pistons on SI
By Justin Grasso | Last updated May 10, 2025 8:58 AM ET

There’s a reason why JB Bickerstaff was in the running for the NBA’s Coach of the Year award. While Cade Cunningham can take a lot of credit for the Detroit Pistons’ turnaround from a 14-win season, to a trip to the playoffs as the sixth-seed in the Eastern Conference, it all started with the first-year Pistons head coach.

“He’s been amazing,” Cunningham told reporters, following the Pistons’ playoff run. “He’s done so many things.”

Bickerstaff might’ve been in his first year as the Pistons’ coach, but it he’s far from a rookie. With prior coaching experience in Houston, Memphis, and Cleveland, Bickerstaff was taking on his fourth head coaching job since 2015.

The Pistons were banking on Bickerstaff being the guy to help turn around a team that didn’t get what it needed from Monty Williams, despite investing a ton into the former head coach.

The investment paid off, thanks to Bickerstaff’s approach, according to the Pistons’ top star.

“His Xs and Os, putting us in the right positions, allowing us to play to our strengths, has been what allowed us to have the year that we had,” Cunningham explained. “The way he inspired us every day, the way he pushed us. I’ve never been a part of anything like that—a group that was so willing to buy in.”

The Pistons didn’t have a ton of star power on paper heading into the 2024-2025 NBA season, but they found plenty of success due to talent and high chemistry. Detroit veteran Malik Beasley praised Bickerstaff and the Pistons for putting together one of the best environments he’s been in since landing in the NBA.

Cunningham hasn’t been with any other organizations, but he’s on his third head coach since getting drafted in 2021. The 2024-2025 season was unlike any of the others.

“He means a lot to the whole group,” Cunningham said of Bickerstaff. “We wanted to play hard for him every night. We wanted to succeed for him every night. We couldn’t ask for anything better than that. A coach like that, who believes in you and pushes you at the same time. He has basketball genius where he can make plays and get you points on his own.”

The Pistons finished the year with a 44-38 record. Although they lost 4-2 in the first round against the New York Knicks, Detroit saw many positives from its young team in the postseason. As Bickerstaff has the organization turning a corner, the Pistons have quickly become one of the biggest risers in the NBA.