Pistons Rumors

Mark Daigneault, J.B. Bickerstaff Named Coaches Of The Month

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff have been named the NBA’s Coaches of the Month for February, according to the league (Twitter link).

It’s the second time this season that Daigneault has won the Western Conference award. He has traded it back and forth with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, with Udoka claiming it for October/November and January while Daigneault earned it in December and February.

Daigneault’s Thunder were 11-2 in February, further cementing their hold on the top seed in the West. They currently have a 10.5-game lead on the No. 2 Lakers.

As for Bickerstaff, his Pistons continue to be one of the NBA’s best stories, having just completed a 9-3 February. Although Detroit is still just sixth in the East, the team is only one game back of the Bucks for a top-four seed in the East and has a five-game cushion on Miami in the race for the conference’s last guaranteed playoff spot.

Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers) and Joe Mazzulla (Celtics) were the other nominees in the East, while Chauncey Billups (Trail Blazers), Steve Kerr (Warriors), Michael Malone (Nuggets), and J.J. Redick (Lakers) were nominated in the West, per the NBA (Twitter link).

Eastern Notes: Quickley, Holiday, D-Lo, Harris, Dosunmu

The five-year, $162.5MM contract that Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley signed in free agency last July was viewed by several fans and analysts at the time as an overpay. It hasn’t become any more team-friendly over the course of this season as Quickley has battled one injury after another and has seen his production decline a little even when he’s been healthy.

However, the 25-year-old provided a reminder in Sunday’s win over Orlando of what he’s capable of, scoring 17 of his team-high 24 points (and handing out a pair of assists) during a five-minute barrage at the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth to help seal the victory, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. While Quickley was happy about his performance, he disagreed with the notion that it will help build confidence for him going forward, Grange adds.

“Confidence is also a choice, a decision,” Quickley said. “Mindset is choice, confidence is choice. I try not to think like that. That’s how I used to think early in my career. And I’ve kind found out elite players don’t think like that. They don’t think that good plays give them confidence, or bad plays don’t give them confidence. Confidence is a choice. You choose confidence.”

It has been a fairly forgettable season overall for Quickley, but the Raptors remain confident that he can be an elite point guard, according to Grange, who notes that Sunday’s outburst was one of the few times this year that he has looked the part.

“That stretch in the third (and fourth) quarter, he was our engine,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said. “He was getting us organized, he was touching the paint, he was scoring. He did a lot for us there and he was really efficient, everything came on the move, everything came with a minimum number of dribbles and when he plays that way, efficiently, it’s good for the whole team.”

Here’s more from around the East:

  • Veteran guard Jrue Holiday has missed the Celtics‘ past two games due to an injury known as mallet finger. Although his right pinky finger is technically broken, Holiday won’t require surgery and will aim to eventually play through the injury, which is keeping him on the shelf for now, writes Brian Robb of MassLive.com. “Trying to figure out — I’m going to be in a splint for a minute but figuring that out since it’s on my shooting hand,” Holiday said. “… I mean, I’m shooting, dribbling, catching, it’s probably all pretty weird or, I mean, honestly, inconvenient. I haven’t tried so far to catch a ball because of the pain, but I will soon.”
  • Nets point guard D’Angelo Russell, who has missed the past five games due to a sprained right ankle, is no longer on the team’s injury report, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. That’s an indication Russell will be active on Tuesday in San Antonio.
  • Pistons forward Tobias Harris is unavailable for personal reasons as Detroit opens a four-game road trip in Utah on Monday, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link).
  • Ayo Dosunmu‘s shoulder issue, which will require season-ending surgery, is an old injury that was discovered via imaging, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network. Although the Bulls guard aggravated it when he sustained a shoulder stinger vs. New York on Feb. 20, he’s not sure when the initial injury occurred, Johnson adds (Twitter link).

Pistons Notes: Duren, Thompson, Cunningham, Turnaround

Jalen Duren, who can sign a rookie scale extension this offseason, has become a steady force inside for the Pistons. Duren is averaging a double-double this season thanks to a strong February in which he posted 13.6 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. In his first March game on Saturday, Duren powered for 18 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high six blocks against the Nets.

“Consistency. We are seeing the talent we believe has always been there. But now he’s found a way and it’s the most difficult thing to do in this league,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “The separator in this league is, do you have 10 good games a year, do you have 30 good games a year, can you do it all the way to 82 games or whatever it may be? He’s put a run together where he’s been dominant on both ends of the floor.”

We have more on the Pistons:

  • Detroit has continued to thrive despite the loss of starting guard Jaden Ivey in early January. Ausar Thompson has stepped into the lineup and given the club a different dimension. In 28 starts, the second-year wing is averaging 10.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.2 steals in 23.3 minutes per game. Thompson’s defensive prowess is a product of preparation. “He does a great job of watching film and studying guys, understanding our system, how he can be most impactful,” Bickerstaff said. “But with a guy like him, you just kind of unleash him. You don’t give him too many rules. We’re so confident in what he’s able to do naturally. We just tell him to go eliminate guys, and so far, he’s done a great job of being able to do that.”
  • In a lengthy feature, The Ringer’s Mirin Fader examines how Cade Cunningham has bounced back from the worst season in franchise history to engineering the league’s biggest surprise. His leadership qualities have shined through, according to his teammates. “There’s been games at halftime where he’s come in and said, ‘I got to be better’ when you don’t even think he does need to be better,” Malik Beasley said.
  • The Detroit Free Press’ Omari Sankofa examines five reasons for the team’s stunning turnaround, including the hirings of general manager Trajan Langdon and Bickerstaff, the firing of Monty Williams, their success in free agency, and key momentum-building victories.

Central Notes: Pistons, Beasley, Haliburton, Giannis, Jackson

The Pistons delivered a statement victory on Wednesday, defeating the Celtics — who entered with a six-game winning streak — by 20 points. Detroit has won eight straight, its longest streak since the 2007/08 season.

“We knew this was going to be a tough challenge for us, but we’re just focused on the process of it all,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “We’re not looking past tonight or at what we’ve done in the past. The only thing we’re focusing on is every single night trying to be the best version of ourselves and tonight I think we were pretty close.”

Malik Beasley, a free agent after the season, continued to provide a huge boost off the bench with 26 points in 22 minutes.

That shot-making ability just lifts people up,” Bickerstaff said. “When he’s hot and that ball’s in the air, you can tell when the ball leaves his hands and is taking the crowd’s breath away.”

We have more from the Central Division:

  • Tyrese Haliburton looks rejuvenated after some rest and relaxation during the All-Star break, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star notes. Over the last four games, the Pacers guard is averaging 25.8 points per game on 63.2% shooting, including 52.6% of his 3-point attempts. He’s also averaging 11.8 assists during that stretch, compared to just 1.0 turnover per game. “I’m just playing free, having fun,” Haliburton said. “It always helps to see the first one go in. You just kind of react from there. I just thought I did a good job of staying aggressive all night, doing what was needed.”
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo was yanked to the floor via a hard foul by Houston’s Amen Thompson Tuesday night but the Bucks superstar said he had “no hard feelings” toward the Rockets‘ wing, according to Kristie Rieken of The Associated Press. Thompson was ejected after an officials’ review. “At the end of the day like you don’t wanna have a league that’s soft,” Antetokounmpo said. “I love guys that play hard. I love guys that they’re great competitors. I’m one of those guys. Sometimes your competitive nature gets in the way (of) making the best decision, the best judgment at the time. And I feel like he wanted to make it a hard foul, but he grabbed my neck.”
  • Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. has seen his minutes shrink this month and coach Doc Rivers indicated that roster moves are the reason, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. “Midseason trade. We brought in other guys that I think fill his role,” Rivers said. “His numbers were not great, with Giannis on the floor, those two guys together.”

Pistons Notes: Duren, Cunningham, Schröder, Chemistry

Pistons starting center Jalen Duren has not only been a double-double machine, he’s become a deft distributor. Throughout the team’s six-game winning streak entering Monday’s game against the Clippers, Duren had posted at least five assists in every game, the Detroit Free Press’ Omari Sankofa II notes.

“He’s just a dynamic offensive player and it’s interesting because of his size and strength, you don’t typically see the finesse and touch that he can play with with the ball in his hands,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Normally, guys that are built like that don’t have that type of hand-eye coordination and skill. He’s an elite passer and play-maker. We trust him with the ball in his hands.”

Duren, who is averaging 11.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, is eligible for a rookie scale extension after the season.

We have more on the Pistons:

  • Coming off his first All-Star selection, Cade Cunningham continues to dazzle. He racked up 38 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks against Atlanta on Sunday. “He reminds me of Luka (Doncic) a lot,” backup Dennis Schröder said, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “I followed his game very closely. It’s impressive how he picks the defense apart. He’s really unselfish. A lot of people don’t do that if they’ve got it going, not shooting. I don’t know how many shots he took in the second half.” Cunningham could also gain a spot on the All-NBA team, which would increase the value of the maximum-salary extension he signed last summer. Rather than a starting salary worth 25% of the cap, he’d earn a salary worth 30% of the cap. That would push his five-year contract from $224MM to approximately $269MM.
  • Schröder had his best outing since he was acquired at the trade deadline, with 16 points and seven assists in 22 minutes against the Hawks. “To be able to have another ball-handler out there, who can make plays, who has no fear, takes a lot of pressure off of Cade and everybody else out there,” Bickerstaff said. “But you need a guy who has courage and this is what we envisioned when we made the trade for him, to get him in the (closing) lineup where he can help us finish and he rose to the occasion.” Schröder has given the team another valuable rotation player with Jaden Ivey sidelined by a fractured fibula.
  • Detroit’s success has been the biggest surprise of the NBA season. The Pistons are fighting for a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference and Bickerstaff praised the team’s chemistry. “I’ve said it before, you can have talent with lack of chemistry and you’re going to underachieve. You can have less talent with better chemistry and you’re going to overachieve,” he said. “When you become elite and win championships you have talent and chemistry and we’re developing into that. We’ve got young guys with high-level ceilings that we’re still working to get to because we’re not a finished product yet, but our chemistry and the vibes in our building every single day are unique that you don’t see, especially with young teams.”

Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Biyombo, Rebounding, M. Johnson

The Spurs were “jolted” by the news that Victor Wembanyama has a blood clot in his right shoulder, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Insider link), who says the team was relieved to have caught the issue before it got more serious. While the Spurs remain optimistic about the big man’s ability to make a full recovery, his health issue is just the latest development in what has been a trying season in San Antonio, Windhorst notes.

Head coach Gregg Popovich, of course, has been away from the team since early November after suffering a stroke. And while the blockbuster De’Aaron Fox trade earlier this month was a major positive, it has had a “destabilizing” effect on a club not accustomed to major in-season roster moves, Windhorst writes. Windhorst also describes the Spurs’ trip to France last month as “emotionally taxing.”

“This has been one long, crazy season,” a team source told ESPN.

The Spurs were 18-16 at one point, but have dropped 14 of 20 games since then. With a 24-30 record and Wembanyama lost for the season, their chances of earning a play-in spot are slim, while their odds of securing a top-10 pick in this year’s draft are on the rise.

In addition to holding their own first-round pick, the Spurs control the Hawks’ unprotected first-rounder. If the season ended today, those selections would be 10th and 11th in the lottery order, with a combined 5% chance of turning into the No. 1 overall pick, according to Tankathon.

Here’s more on the Spurs and Wembanyama:

  • Wembanyama’s dominance helped to hide the team’s overall lack of frontcourt depth, which became worse when Zach Collins had to be sent to Chicago in the Fox deal, Michael C. Wright observes in an ESPN overview of the effects of losing Wembanyama. Wright expects Bismack Biyombo, who signed a second 10-day contract with San Antonio on Friday, to eventually receive a standard deal for the rest of the season. Wright also states that Fox, Chris Paul and Stephon Castle are likely to share the court more often in three-guard lineups.
  • The Spurs got a taste of what life without Wembanyama might be like in Friday’s 15-point loss to the Pistons, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. They defeated Phoenix on Thursday, just hours after learning that Wembanyama was lost for the season, but Detroit presented a much tougher matchup with its combination of size and physicality. San Antonio was out-rebounded by a 53-32 margin and couldn’t match up with Pistons center Jalen Duren, who finished the night with 21 points and 15 rebounds. “We knew they’re a big, physical team,” Keldon Johnson said. “Knowing that we are a little bit smaller right now, we are a little bit lacking in size right now, that we got to do it collectively and stay locked in and as a unit we get the rebound.”
  • Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff recognized the job that Mitch Johnson has done in keeping the team competitive after Popovich’s health scare, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Bickerstaff pointed out that not only is Johnson filling in for a legend, he took over the position with no warning or time to prepare. “You can tell by the way they play he’s got them to buy into him,” Bickerstaff added. “You watch how selfless they play, how they play together, how they compete their tails off. To me, those are the telltale signs of players believing in their coach. They’re organized on both sides of the ball. So you can tell day by day they’re getting the preparation they need to build what a team should look like. He’s done a phenomenal job.”

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Haliburton, Ivey, Thompson, Duren, Sims

The Pacers are trying to be strategic about getting Tyrese Haliburton to be more aggressive, IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak writes. In their last matchup against Memphis, Haliburton was held to eight points by rookie Jaylen Wells, so in Thursday’s rematch, the Pacers made it a focus to hone in on the defensive looks their point guard would be seeing.

Haliburton responded with a 22-point, nine-assist game that saw Indiana take down the 36-19 Grizzlies. At 31-23, the Pacers are fourth in the Eastern Conference as of Saturday.

We just did a lot in the past two days in my individual workouts and in our team practices,” Haliburton said. “They’ve been having the coaches and the interns and everybody just fouling me the whole time and we’ve gotta figure out how we get the ball and do what we do offensively.

The Pacers are a different team when Haliburton is healthy, Dopirak writes. They’re 2-8 in games where he scores fewer than 10 points and are 17-2 when he scores 20+, like on Thursday. In wins, Haliburton is averaging 21.3 points per game; that average drops to 13.1 PPG in losses.

The [last] game at Memphis, Ty didn’t take a shot, I don’t even know if he took one in the first quarter,” Carlisle said. “That’s not our game. He’s got to be aggressive. He’s gotta be aggressive to run the team and to get good looks.

On the season, Haliburton is averaging 17.9 points and 8.5 assists while shooting 45.1% from the field and 36.8% from three.

It’s been an up and down year for me offensively,” Haliburton said. “There’s been a lot of games where I might not have asserted myself enough or just overthinking, not shooting enough. Passing up good shots. I probably had a couple of incidents of it today. I watch a lot of film. My trainer Drew [Hanlen] is always on me to shoot the ball and be more aggressive. Good things happen when I’m aggressive and getting paint touches and really shooting the ball. I’m just trying to pay attention to it and try to be as good as I can and try to keep learning every game.

We have more from the Central Division:

  • While it’s easy to assume Jaden Ivey would resume a starting role when he returns from injury, it would mean tinkering with a lineup that’s helped cement the Pistons‘ place in the playoff picture. That’s one of the issues Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tackles in his latest mailbag. The Pistons are 15-8 since Jan. 1 with Tim Hardaway Jr. starting, so they’ll only alter the rotation if it benefits their playoff hopes, according to Langlois, who also takes a look at Malik Beasley‘s expiring contract and the likelihood of him returning to Detroit next season.
  • Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren have been a reliable offensive duo in February, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic writes. Entering Friday, Thompson is averaging 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game this month, while Duren is recording 14.6 PPG, 12.1 RPG and 4.1 APG. Their play, along with Cade Cunningham‘s star-level production, Dennis Schröder‘s second-unit leadership, and the resurgence of Tobias Harris and Beasley are keys for the Pistons’ postseason push, says Patterson.
  • Since being acquired at the deadline, Jericho Sims is serving as a primary backup big for the Bucks, having totaled 35 minutes in the two games since the All-Star break and Bobby Portis‘s suspension. Sims spoke on Thursday about being thrust into a bigger role than anticipated. “I just heard about it before shootaround and [a suspension] is not the way that you want to come in [to the rotation], but I was just excited to get my legs underneath me for the first win,” he said, per The Athletic’s Eric Nehm (Twitter link).

And-Ones: 2025 FAs, College Jobs, MCW, WNBA, More

A series of contract extensions have depleted the star-level talent in the NBA’s 2025 free agent class, but there will still be some notable names to watch this summer, as Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report and ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) detail.

Both Pincus and Marks have longtime NBA stars LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden atop their lists of 2025 free agents, with Marks positing that no player will have more leverage this offseason than Irving, given how badly the Mavericks need to retain the veteran point guard following the trade of Luka Doncic.

After James, Irving, and Harden, who have combined for 41 career All-Star appearances, the next tier of free agents consists of players like Myles Turner, Fred VanVleet, Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, and Timberwolves power forwards Julius Randle and Naz Reid. Interestingly, Pincus has Reid ranked ahead of the three-time All-Star he backs up, placing Reid at No. 5 and Randle at No. 7 in his early FA rankings.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • As is typical at this time of year, a number of NBA coaches and executives are receiving interest for jobs at the college basketball level, notes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). Fischer mentions Hornets executive Buzz Peterson and veteran player agent Jim Tanner as possible candidates for UNC’s general manager job and says Heat assistant Chris Quinn, Suns assistant David Fizdale, and Bucks assistant Dave Joerger are among the names to watch for the University of Miami’s head coaching position. Fischer adds that Kings assistant Luke Loucks has been linked to Florida State’s head coaching opening.
  • Former NBA Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams is involved in a bid to bring an WNBA expansion franchise to Boston, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. With expansion teams lined up for San Francisco, Portland, Toronto, and Cleveland, the WNBA will have 16 clubs by 2028, so it’s unclear whether or not the league will be looking to expand beyond that number right away.
  • Passing along the results of a player poll from All-Star weekend, Joe Vardon of The Athletic notes that the 14 respondents were unanimously against the idea of 10-minute quarters floated last month by commissioner Adam Silver. However, 12 of those 14 players liked the new All-Star tournament format.
  • The Lakers‘ and Pistons‘ G League affiliates completed a trade on Wednesday, with the South Bay Lakers acquiring forward Cole Swider from the Motor City Cruise in exchange for Chris Silva‘s returning rights and a 2025 first-round pick, per a press release. Silva is currently playing overseas, but Swider has been active in the G League and will begin suiting up for South Bay.

Cade Cunningham Enjoys All-Star Debut; Ausar Thompson's Role Expanding

  • Cade Cunningham became the first Pistons player to be selected to the All-Star Game since Blake Griffin in 2019 and the first Detroit guard to make it since Allen Iverson in 2009, notes Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Cunningham enjoyed making his All-Star debut, but added that he expects to return many times in his career. “It’s cool, man. This is what I planned on, though,” he said. “This is what I saw for myself. To be in this position now is a great feeling, but there’s definitely more steps to climb. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and all the things to come.”
  • Pistons forward Ausar Thompson could be primed for a strong close to the season, Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News states in a mailbag column. Davis notes that Thompson had to overcome a long layoff caused by blood clots he experienced late in his rookie season. When he was cleared to play in November, he was limited to 20 minutes per game and was still dealing with fatigue. He has been used as the team’s secondary play-maker over the last eight games and is averaging 4.0 assists per night, along with 13.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.0 steals.

Community Shootaround: Most Improved Player

According to the latest betting odds (link via Kevin Rogers of VegasInsider), there are two clear frontrunners to be named 2024/25’s Most Improved Player: Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Clippers wing Norman Powell.

Cunningham is the current favorite for the award, but Powell is a close second. Tyler Herro, Amen Thompson, Trey Murphy, Christian Braun, Evan Mobley, Jalen Williams, Dyson Daniels, Victor Wembanyama and Max Christie are among the other players in consideration, but it would be genuinely shocking if anyone from that group wins, given the current odds.

Griffin Wong of DraftKings recently weighed in on what is seemingly a two-man race, making the case both for and against Powell and Cunningham. While Wong believes that Powell has “clearly” shown more individual improvement, he thinks voters — 100 members of the media — will ultimately choose Cunningham, given the recent history of selecting rising young players and Detroit’s dramatic turnaround from a season ago.

A 10-year veteran, Powell is posting career-best numbers in virtually every major statistic in 2024/25, including points (24.2), rebounds (3.6), assists (2.2), steals (1.3) and minutes (33.6) per game. In 45 appearances, he has posted an extremely efficient shooting slash line of .496/.428/.819, good for a career-high true shooting percentage of .633. He is the leading scorer on the West’s No. 6 seed (the Clippers are 31-23).

At 31, Powell would be the oldest player to ever win MIP. That distinction currently belongs to former Magic guard Darrell Armstrong, who was 30 when he won the award in ’98/99.

Cunningham, 23, is also posting career-best numbers in several statistics in ’24/25, averaging 25.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 9.3 APG on .455/.351/.850 shooting (.551 TS) in 50 games (35.5 MPG). After finishing with the NBA’s worst record (14-68) last season, the Pistons have already more than doubled that meager win total and currently hold a 29-26 record, good for the No. 6 seed in the East.

Obviously, Cunningham has far more impressive rebounding and assist totals, and he’s Detroit’s best player. But as Wong writes, the first-time All-Star has been a far less efficient scorer than Powell, who also has better on/off numbers. According to Wong, Cunningham’s improvement was more or less expected — he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2021 — whereas Powell’s has been much more surprising and arguably more impactful to winning. Neither player is great defensively, so Wong views that as essentially a wash.

We want to know what you think. Should Cunningham, Powell or another player be selected as this season’s Most Improved Player? Head to the comments section to share your thoughts.