Warriors’ Steve Kerr Makes Honest Statement on Detroit Pistons

Steve Kerr dished out his thoughts on the emergence of the Pistons.

Oct 13, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reacts after the call against the Detroit Pistons during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Heading into the 2024-2025 NBA season, the Detroit Pistons had a different look from a management standpoint. Trajan Langdon took over the front office, while JB Bickerstaff replaced Monty Williams as the head coach. From afar, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is admittedly happy to see Detroit’s emergence this year.

Ahead of the Saturday night battle between the Pistons and the Warriors, Kerr addressed the state of the Pistons as the NBA season reaches the final quarter. Based on what he saw last year compared to this season’s team, Kerr sees an “amazing” jump.

“JB [Bickerstaff]’s been amazing,” Kerr told reporters. “That team has built an identity that they lacked a year ago.”

“J.B. has been amazing. That team has built an identity…Everything makes more sense this year.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr discusses the #Pistons’ development under coach J.B. Bickerstaff. pic.twitter.com/xSaDn4wPOF

— Coty M. Davis (@CotyDavis_24) March 9, 2025

As a team with a young core that had short-term veterans in and out of the building, the Pistons couldn’t find any recipe for success during the 2023-2024 season. Under Monty Williams, the Pistons went 14-68. Somehow, they were worse after hiring a head coach who was recently in the NBA Finals.

With Bickerstaff, a consistent roster, and leaps of progression from the young core guys, the Pistons are thriving and reaching goals that they weren’t even planning for at the start of the year.

“They are a two-way team, excellent defensively, and they really get after you,” Kerr added.

Jan 27, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff talks to guard Malik Beasley (5) during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

“They cause turnovers, and they’ve added more shooting. I think everything just seems to make more sense this year with the roster, the lineups, and the way they are playing. It’s a testament to JB. It’s also a testament to the younger players getting better. This is how it works. It takes time, and it seems to be all coming together.”

The Pistons and the Warriors both entered Saturday’s game with the same record while holding the same seed in their respective conferences. Saturday marks the second and final meeting between the two squads this year.

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