DETROIT — Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been in the NBA for more than two decades. He’s patrolled the sidelines as either an assistant or head coach for as long as some of his players have been alive.

But according to Bickerstaff, no season in his 22-year NBA career has provided him with more excitement than the Pistons’ upcoming campaign. Why’s that?

Well, he said, it started with what they built last season.

“Their energy, their spirit, their commitment over the summer to want to improve and want to get back onto the court and do this again, I’m feeding off their energy,” Bickerstaff said this week. “I can tell how excited they are, and I’m just as excited.”

It’s not just talk.
It’s action. pic.twitter.com/EN8IFVqEd6

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) October 2, 2025

Heading into his second season in Detroit, Bickerstaff is eager to build on concepts he introduced during his first year with the Pistons. He relied heavily on the athleticism of his team to create turnovers, allowing Detroit to get into transition, push the tempo and score easy baskets.

The Pistons finished last season second in the NBA in fast-break points per game (18.5), seventh in points off turnovers (19), 10th in defensive rating (112.5), and 11th in pace. Their ability to turn teams over allowed them to capitalize on their opponents’ mistakes and create momentum.

That formula is a staple in Bickerstaff’s defense, and now he’s looking to expand on it.

“There’s a way that you can defend and still be explosive, and that’s what we aim to do,” Bickerstaff said. “What we want to do is make sure that our identity is on the defensive end. Then you can go from a great defensive team to an explosive offensive team.”

Ausar Thompson’s defensive versatility is one of the main reasons Detroit has realistic expectations of doing that.

Thompson owned the best defensive rating of any Pistons starter during the regular season (108) and playoffs (107), per Basketball Reference. The same goes for Thompson’s defensive box plus-minus during the regular season (2.5) and postseason (3.1). He’s 6-foot-7, now up to 215 pounds on the training camp roster and is coming off his first playoff series — one in which he was tasked with slowing down an All-NBA talent in New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.

Brunson is a crafty veteran with postseason experience. He used that to his advantage against Thompson, fouling him out in Game 2 and forcing Thompson to be mindful of not picking up unnecessary fouls throughout the rest of the series. After having a summer to study his matchup and mistakes against Brunson, Thompson feels better equipped to take a step forward and help reinforce Bickerstaff’s goal of turning great defense into explosive offense.

“I watched a lot (of film),” Thompson said, reflecting on his offseason. “I was like, ‘I could have stopped (Brunson) here. I could’ve been more disciplined here. I could’ve been less aggressive here. I could have been more aggressive here.’ I feel like I learned a lot from it.”

While Thompson will be responsible for neutralizing opponents’ best perimeter scorers, it’ll be on Detroit big man Jalen Duren who anchors the defense in the paint. A look at some of Duren’s advanced stats from last year illustrates his impact.

Duren’s 3.4 defensive win shares led all Pistons during the regular season, not just the starters. And his 1.5 defensive box plus-minus was the second-highest of starters behind, you guessed it, Thompson.

But considering Duren is only 21, he went into the offseason purposeful about refining his conditioning to contribute to Bickerstaff’s overall goal for the group.

Duren mentioned during media day that this was the best he’s felt from a physical standpoint, with his body fat down and strength up.

“I think I’ve taken huge strides,” Duren said when asked about his defensive improvements. “I’ve gotten in a better space in terms of how my body is moving. (I’ve worked on) being more explosive on the court, being quicker on the court. (My) reaction time, I think, we’ll see a huge step forward.”

Even Caris LeVert, who is new to Detroit but acquainted with Bickerstaff, is aware of how his coach likes to defend. The two spent time together from 2021 to 2024 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeVert had career highs in both defensive win shares (3.1) and defensive box plus-minus (0.8) under Bickerstaff.

Although LeVert is better known for his offensive upside, he’s listed at 6-foot-6, has a 6-foot-10 wingspan and was at his best defensively with Bickerstaff.

“(There are) a lot of familiarities with the defense,” LeVert said Thursday as he wore a custom Detroit Tigers practice jersey prior to the Tigers clinching an ALDS berth. “I think it’s pretty similar, if not almost exact.”

Thompson, Duren and LeVert each have varying levels of familiarity with Bickerstaff’s defensive preferences. Factor in 6-foot-5 Javonte Green, who is happy making life difficult for his opponents, and Bickerstaff has several options to turn defense into offense.

Asked Javonte Green how much Detroit’s appreciation for grittiness factored into his decision to sign with the Pistons.

“It’s something I look forward to, just being tough. If you can take somebody’s soul or take them out of the game — that brings me happiness.” pic.twitter.com/cBsTao293E

— Hunter Patterson (@HunterPatterson) October 1, 2025

The Pistons are leaning into the length and athleticism they had last season, along with their offseason acquisitions. Their first opportunity to do so will be Monday’s preseason game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

“We can play five guys who are about 6-foot-8 if we wanted to,” Bickerstaff said. “(We’d) be extremely fast, be able to switch a lot of things, be able to trap more, be able to pick up more in the full court. … There’s just so many things we can do with that flexibility and versatility.”

(Photo of J.B. Bickerstaff and Ausar Thompson: Chris Schwegler / NBAE via Getty Images)