J.B. Bickerstaff Praises Two Members of Detroit Pistons Core

Pistons coach has high praise for Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren.

Feb 2, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) and guard Cade Cunningham (2) reacts to a call in the second half against the LA Clippers at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

One of the many changes the Detroit Pistons made this offseason was bringing in a new head coach. Just one year into his history contract, the franchise parted ways with Monty Williams and opted to replace him J.B. Bickerstaff.

Fresh off turning the Cleveland Cavaliers into a perineal playoff team, Bicksterstaff is now starting over with a Pistons team that finished with the NBA’s worst record last season. One positive is that the franchise has already collected a promising group of young talent.

Earlier this week, Bicksterstaff was a gues on Richard Jefferson’s Road Trippin podcast. During his interview, he was asked about some of the key members of the Pistons core. The longtime coach started off by sharing his thoughts on star guard Cade Cunningham.

”Cade’s size and his ability to get to his spot, never gets sped up, you look at him he’s always even keel,” Bickerstaff said. ”He’s one of those guys that you can tell his teammates just wanna be around because he has the ability to make them better.”

Later on, Bickerstaff had high praise for standout center Jalen Duren and his potential moving forward.

”Jalen Duren I think we’re just scratching the surface with what I think he’s gonna be able to do soon,” he continued. “I think there’s more there. I was watching him a little bit while he was working out, he’s really really ball skilled. I don’t think that’s something we got to see a lot of in the past.”

Coming off a season where he was sidelined for most of the year due to injury, Cunningham put up his best numbers in the NBA in 2024. He finished last season with averages of 22.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 7.5 APG. As for Duren, he took a big step forward in year two. He finished his sophomore campaign averaging a double-double for the season (13.8 PPG, 11.6 RPG).

Based on his recent comments, it seems like Bickerstaff has Cunningham and Duren circled as players he plans on showcasing his first year in Detroit.