{"id":728946,"date":"2026-05-08T13:42:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T13:42:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/728946\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T13:42:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T13:42:24","slug":"growth-first-approach-from-j-b-bickerstaff-winning-games-for-pistons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/728946\/","title":{"rendered":"Growth-first approach from J.B. Bickerstaff winning games for Pistons"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a 60-win regular season, the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs revealed that the Detroit Pistons<\/a> still had some growing up to do.<\/p>\n

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff trusted his young roster to figure it out.<\/p>\n

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They were on the brink of elimination in Game 6 against the Orlando Magic<\/a>, down by 24 points early in the third quarter on May 1. And yet fourth-year big Jalen Duren<\/a>, who who struggled to assert himself on both sides of the ball earlier in the series, played the final eight minutes of the game over Paul Reed<\/a>, a vet in the midst of a strong performance.<\/p>\n

Second-year guard Daniss Jenkins<\/a>, who couldn\u2019t hit shots through the first five games, played 10 of 24 second-half minutes in a historic comeback to force a Game 7, eventually won by the Pistons to set up their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bickerstaff leaned on them for a simple reason: To learn how to handle high-pressure moments \u2013 to, perhaps, become pillars of the franchise \u2013 they first had to experience them.<\/p>\n

\"Detroit<\/p>\n

Detroit Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins (24) dribbles against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (2) during the first half of Game 2 of second round of NBA playoffs at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Thursday, May 7, 2026.<\/p>\n

MITCH ALBOM: Cade Cunningham puts the icing on Pistons’ Game 2 cake<\/a><\/p>\n

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The decision has paid dividends since: Duren and Jenkins shook off their poor starts and delivered their best performances of the series in Sunday’s Game 7. And as the Pistons have built a 2-0 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers, they’ve delivered even more.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have young guys who are doing things for the first time, playing in these situations, it\u2019s not going to be perfect,\u201d Bickerstaff said after the Pistons\u2019 107-97 Game 2 win over the Cavaliers on Thursday, May 7<\/a>. \u201cWhat we judge them on is, if it\u2019s effort-based and if they\u2019re giving us all they got, then we\u2019ll stick with them and give them a chance to play through some of the bumps and bruises, because we trust that they\u2019re going to get through it and they\u2019ll be better for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Pistons have won five straight since an April 29 loss left them trailing the Magic, 3-1. Even as they continue a rapid trajectory to contention, Bickerstaff \u2013 and the front office \u2013 hasn\u2019t abandoned a growth-oriented approach to coaching and team-building. Their young core is meeting the moment, even if it took a first-round scare for them to get there.<\/p>\n

President of basketball operations Trajan Langdon decided against a big trade deadline swing for a potential star to help Cade Cunningham, instead allowing his players to grow into stardom. That patience extends to Bickerstaff, who is coaching with the big picture in mind even as the team is in the midst of its deepest playoff run in nearly two decades.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re going to be here for a while, right?\u201d he said after the team\u2019s practice on Wednesday. \u201cAnd this group is going to be together for a while. So we have to do what\u2019s best for this group in total and not just react to our emotions in the moment. Being here, working with Trajan and Tom [Gores, Pistons owner], they\u2019ve afforded me the ability to be able to do that and see the game that way, where you don\u2019t feel like you have to win or lose every possession or your job’s on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jenkins was one of the Pistons\u2019 many success stories this season, earning a standard contract after playing his two-way contract to the 50-game limit, winning several games for them early in the season. But he looked overmatched in the playoffs, shooting 26.3% from the floor in his first five playoff appearances this year.<\/p>\n

Bickerstaff recognized that Jenkins needed time to adjust to the postseason pace and physicality. The Pistons needed what Jenkins could bring \u2013 namely, secondary ballhandling alongside Cunningham. Instead of benching him, he gave him an opportunity to rise to the moment.<\/a><\/p>\n

Jenkins had 16 points and five assists in Game 7, and 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and four steals in a Game 1 win over the Cavs.\u00a0Game 2 brought Jenkins’ third straight game scoring in double figures.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou can\u2019t simulate the playoffs, you can\u2019t do that,\u201d said Jenkins, who had 16 points and four assists Thursday. \u201cThis is my first time going through it. I knew I wasn\u2019t going to be scared or nothing like that, I just had to go through it and adjust to the intensity, atmosphere, the physicality. I think early on I was just pressing a little too much. I just had to relax and just play, and once I did that I knew it was going to be up from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

SHAWN WINDSOR: Cade Cunningham sends message with Game 2 takeover vs Cavaliers<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Detroit<\/p>\n

Detroit Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins (24) dunks against Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half of Game 2 of second round of NBA playoffs at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Thursday, May 7, 2026.<\/p>\n

Duren, meanwhile, looked stiff and unfocused at the beginning of the Magic series. He fumbled the rebounds and passes he usually nabs with ease, had issues establishing himself on the boards, gave up too many baskets in the paint and was outplayed by Orlando’s Wendell Carter<\/a> Jr.<\/p>\n

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He found his rhythm as a rim protector during the Game 6 comeback and looked like the All-Star version of himself in Game 7, in which he tallied his first double-double of the series \u2013 15 points, 15 rebounds (six offensive) and three assists. He kept it rolling in Game 1 against Cleveland, finishing with 11 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung players don\u2019t develop if they don\u2019t feel that belief and trust in them, and if you\u2019re just yanking them and pulling them in and out they don\u2019t get the opportunities to grow,\u201d Bickerstaff said.<\/p>\n

The Pistons are winning like a team with urgency, but their philosophy has remained the same since September’s media day: Internal growth was always going to dictate their level of success this season.<\/p>\n

Turns out, their patient approach is also the approach most conducive to winning.<\/p>\n

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>>Follow the best Pistons coverage all year round at freep.com\/sports\/pistons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Contact Omari Sankofa II at\u00a0osankofa@freepress.com<\/a>. Follow him on\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0and\/or\u00a0Bluesky<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons thrive thanks to J.B. Bickerstaff emphasis on youth<\/a><\/p>\n