It’s exciting times right now for Detroit Pistons as they appear solid more than one month since the start of the season. Some can’t help but look to the days when they were legit contenders even if the season is still young.
JB Bickerstaff’s squad are currently at the top of the Eastern Conference standings with a 19-5 record. They are second best team in the league behind defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder. The time when they were the worst team in the league is now merely a shadow of the past.
This is the most promising squad Detroit has had for almost two decades and Bickerstaff is rightfully getting the credit for turning things around and sticking with them since the down years.
How did he do it? The coach studied history.
“You want to study the history of the team, right? And understand what the fan base has embraced and what the fan base loved about their team. When you come to Detroit, it’s obvious,” he said during an appearance the Run It Back podcast.
“Going back to the Bad Boys, then to the next group — the best five alive with Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, and that whole group — you study that, and you understand what the fans are looking for. And to the best of your ability, you try to recreate that.”
25-26 Detroit Pistons has similarity to Bad Boys
This Pistons squad are dawgs. Many players have shown intensity on the floor and even got to fights with other players. Among them are Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren, and Isaiah Stewart.
Some can’t help but think about the Bad Boys and the era of the Wallaces and Chauncey Billups. Bickerstaff will not object to such takes.
He thinks the team were able to match the toughness these teams showed during their peak years.
“I think that’s what we’ve done here. But you can’t do it if the personalities on your team don’t fit it,” Bickerstaff continued.
“And our personalities fit it. We’ve got guys who like to get nasty, who like to mix it up, who like to make people uncomfortable and see how they respond. And it’s a real thing. Our guys aren’t out here bluffing.”
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