Pistons' J.B. Bickerstaff Disappointed After NBA Announcement on Monday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Nathaniel Holloway | Last updated May 5, 2025 6:40 PM ET

The Detroit Pistons’ 2024-25 season was a historic one despite the disappointing ending in the first round of the playoffs.

After finishing with the worst record in the NBA in each of the last two seasons, Detroit had a complete turnaround this season.

They finished the regular season with a 44-38 record, which placed them sixth in the Eastern Conference standings as they clinched their first playoff appearance since the 2018-19 season.

Unfortunately for the Pistons, their championship hopes would end in the first round after they were defeated by the New York Knicks in six games.

While the Pistons were unable to advance to the second round, they gave the Knicks all they could handle in round one ad it is clear that Detroit has a very bright future ahead of them led by their star point guard Cade Cunningham.

Of course, Cunningham received most of the attention and credit for the Pistons incredible season, but head coach J.B. Bickerstaff also deserves a ton of credit.

Bickerstaff was honored as being a finalist for the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year award along with Kenny Atkinson of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets.

Unfortunately for Bickerstaff, he was not voted as the recipient of the award as Atkinson was named the 2024-25 Coach of the Year

The 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year is… Kenny Atkinson! #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/6AvyikvExc
— NBA (@NBA) May 5, 2025

This is a great honor for Atkinson, who replaced Bickerstaff as head coach of the Cavaliers and led Cleveland to the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but Bickerstaff also made a solid case.

After being fired by the Cavaliers in the offseason, Bickerstaff was hired by the Pistons where he would help turn their franchise into a championship contender after being a bottom feeder in the NBA over the last few seasons.

Despite not winning the award, Bickerstaff's contributions to the Pistons' turnaround should not fly under the radar as they now look to build around their core and improve their title odds in the offseason.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: