Bazzana Bananza at the Corner!
Travis Bazzana hits his first MLB home run in a 6-4 win for the Guardians!
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff's growth-first strategy helped the Detroit Pistons overcome a 24-point deficit to win Game 6 against the Orlando Magic, forcing a Game 7. This approach aims to develop young players like Jalen Duren and Daniss Jenkins for future success.
After a 60-win regular season, the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs revealed that the Detroit Pistons still had some growing up to do.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff trusted his young roster to figure it out.
They were on the brink of elimination in Game 6 against the Orlando Magic, down by 24 points early in the third quarter on May 1. And yet fourth-year big Jalen Duren, 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 vet in the midst of a strong performance.
Second-year guard Daniss Jenkins, who couldnât 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.
Bickerstaff leaned on them for a simple reason: To learn how to handle high-pressure moments â to, perhaps, become pillars of the franchise â they first had to experience them.
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.
The Pistons mounted a historic comeback by relying on young players like Jalen Duren and Daniss Jenkins, who played crucial minutes in the second half.
Bickerstaff's strategy focused on trusting his young roster to gain experience in high-pressure situations to develop them into future franchise pillars.
Jalen Duren and Daniss Jenkins were key players, with Duren playing crucial minutes and Jenkins contributing significantly in the second half.
The victory allowed the Pistons to force a Game 7 and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, highlighting their resilience and potential for growth.
Travis Bazzana hits his first MLB home run in a 6-4 win for the Guardians!
Mariners' 12-8 victory highlights their potential with Raley's seven RBIs.
Brewers shut out Yankees 6-0 as Misiorowski hits 103 mph
Wembanyama and Edwards go head-to-head in a tied Game 3 first half
Nebraska Dominates Iowa with a 10-0 Win in Baseball!
Toronto Tempo loses first WNBA game to Mystics in front of sellout crowd
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.
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.
âWhen you have young guys who are doing things for the first time, playing in these situations, itâs not going to be perfect,â Bickerstaff said after the Pistonsâ 107-97 Game 2 win over the Cavaliers on Thursday, May 7. âWhat we judge them on is, if itâs effort-based and if theyâre giving us all they got, then weâll stick with them and give them a chance to play through some of the bumps and bruises, because we trust that theyâre going to get through it and theyâll be better for it.â
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 â and the front office â hasnât 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.
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.
âWeâre going to be here for a while, right?â he said after the teamâs practice on Wednesday. âAnd this group is going to be together for a while. So we have to do whatâs 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], theyâve afforded me the ability to be able to do that and see the game that way, where you donât feel like you have to win or lose every possession or your job's on the line.â
Jenkins was one of the Pistonsâ 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.
Bickerstaff recognized that Jenkins needed time to adjust to the postseason pace and physicality. The Pistons needed what Jenkins could bring â namely, secondary ballhandling alongside Cunningham. Instead of benching him, he gave him an opportunity to rise to the moment.
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. Game 2 brought Jenkins' third straight game scoring in double figures.
âYou canât simulate the playoffs, you canât do that,â said Jenkins, who had 16 points and four assists Thursday. âThis is my first time going through it. I knew I wasnât 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.â
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.
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 Jr.
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 â 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.
âYoung players donât develop if they donât feel that belief and trust in them, and if youâre just yanking them and pulling them in and out they donât get the opportunities to grow,â Bickerstaff said.
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.
Turns out, their patient approach is also the approach most conducive to winning.
>>Follow the best Pistons coverage all year round at freep.com/sports/pistons.
Contact Omari Sankofa II atosankofa@freepress.com. Follow him onXand/orBluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons thrive thanks to J.B. Bickerstaff emphasis on youth