The Detroit Pistons are hiring J.B. Bickerstaff as the franchise’s next coach, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Bickerstaff spent the past five seasons as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, but was fired despite a second consecutive postseason appearance.
The Pistons are making Bickerstaff the team’s third coach in as many years after firing Monty Williams just one year into a six-year, $78.5 million contract.
Bickerstaff is the first coach hired by new Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon, who himself was hired after the worst season in franchise history. The Pistons were a league-worst 14-68 and set a new NBA record for consecutive losses by a single team.
Despite a dismal year in Detroit, the team only garnered only the fifth pick in last week’s draft. That pick was used to select Ron Holland II from the G League Ignite to join a young core that features 2021 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren.