DETROIT – Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff addressed the team’s shocking loss to the Washington Wizards inside Little Caesars Arena and what it means moving forward.
“You always try to learn, but you don’t hold on to it,” Bickerstaff said. “You go back and think about the reality of it and how we keep talking about, you know, that we are a work in progress.”
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He acknowledged that the timing of the game affected the outcome.
“The trap game, the emotional side of it, going through a tough game versus Denver, looking forward to a game like tonight, the trade deadline in between all of it.”
The Pistons had their matchup against the New York Knicks on their minds and were outplayed by a hot-shooting Wizards team, who won 126-117.
They were down as much as 22 points in the first half of Thursday’s (Feb. 5) game.
Bickerstaff viewed the loss as a learning opportunity but not a reflection of the team’s consistent identity.
“That moment got the best of us with all those things kind of compiling. But you know what I mean? Like it’s not who we are consistently, and we’ve proven that. So we just had a S!@#$% night, and we’ll move on and get back to being who we are,” Bickerstaff said.
Trade deadline
On the trade deadline and team chemistry, Bickerstaff emphasized the importance of maintaining balance.
“There’s games that we can go back, and we can talk about that we simply won because of our chemistry, because we were more connected than our opponent,” Bickerstaff said.
He explained the coaching staff and front office philosophy: “If you have more talent, less chemistry, you’re going to underachieve. If you have less talent, more chemistry, it gives you an opportunity to overachieve.”
Bickerstaff believes the Pistons currently have the ideal mix.
“We’ve got the perfect world of both where we have the talent level, plus we have the chemistry. So why would you mess with it? Give it an opportunity,” Bickerstaff said.
He praised the organization’s consistency in this approach.
“This summer, very easily, we could have jumped the gun and made some huge splash for what we thought would help us go to the next step. But our organization was committed to our guys and gave them the opportunity to grow and help take us to that next step,” Bickerstaff said.
Regarding the team’s offensive structure, Bickerstaff was asked about the pressure to be creative with scoring, given the reliance on Cade Cunningham and a committee approach.
“Not more creative, just creative offensively to make sure that everything doesn’t fall on Cade’s shoulders and to push the right buttons to find secondary scoring,” Bickerstaff said.
He sees this challenge as part of the coaching job. “I don’t consider it to be pressure. It’s our job to get the most out of what’s in front of us and what you have.”
Bickerstaff explained the importance of adapting to the team’s unique talents.
“Sometimes we get stuck trying to do what we see work other places, but instead of that, you look at what you have and play to the strength of your roster,” Bickerstaff said.
He called it a “chess match” of strategy and creativity.
“You stretch your imagination, see what you can get out of it, and then what adjustments you need to make next to help your players be successful,” Bickerstaff said.
Bickerstaff emphasized the need to maximize the roster’s potential.
“If Golden State plays away or Oklahoma City plays away, Denver plays away, like we can’t just be that because we don’t have that roster. So how do you squeeze the most out of your roster is how we approach it every single day,” Bickerstaff said.
On the status of Jalen Duran, Bickerstaff provided an update.
“He’s going to try to give it a go. He’s going to go through his pregame stuff, see how he feels, and if he feels good enough, he’ll go,” Bickerstaff said.
Duren did not play in the game due to a knee injury.