Fellow coaches name JB Bickerstaff Coach of the Year

The Detroit Pistons completed the season at 60-22, the best record in the Eastern Conference. It was their first 60-win season in 20 years. As a result, they will have home-court advantage throughout the postseason.

Because of that, the NBA Coaches Association has recognized head coach JB Bickerstaff as the NBA Coach of the Year, per Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. That said, Bickerstaff is prioritizing postseason preparation above all else.

In 2024, Bickerstaff became the Pistons’ head coach. The year before, Detroit finished the season winning only 14 games. Before then, Bickerstaff was the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2020 to 2024.

From then on, Bickerstaff has turned the franchise around as one of the best teams in the league.

In 2024-2025, the Pistons won 44 games and made the postseason. Ultimately, they would lose in the first round to the New York Knicks in six games.

Along the way, he has brought back the physicality and defensive strength that have historically defined Detroit basketball. Plus, he has produced some of the top players in the game, including Cade Cunningham and Isiah Stewart.

Cunningham is in the running for individual accolades. He is averaging 23.9 points, 9.9 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, the Pistons are awaiting the winner of the Charlotte Hornets/Orlando Magic Play-In game on Friday.

Bickerstaff has been coaching since 2004. He took on stints as an assistant and associate with the former Charlotte Bobcats, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, and Memphis Grizzlies.

Bickerstaff joins the likes of Ray Scott (1974) and Rick Carlisle (2002) as the only Pistons coaches to win Coach of the Year.