Game day dress codes for NBA teams have become more comfortable in recent years, Detroit Pistons maestro JB Bickerstaff is becoming stricter about what his players wear in the practice. Bickerstaff has prevented the Pistons from wearing their hoodies throughout practice, according to The Athletic.
While many teams allow players to don the hoods throughout practice, Bickerstaff says he wants to instill an “old school” mentality within the group. Since players won’t have their hoodies on for all games, Bickerstaff doesn’t want to see them on for the entire practice.
“Just the last vestige of that old-school mentality,” Bickerstaff said. “Growing up with my dad, you don’t wear anything on your head during the game. You don’t wear jewelry. You practice how you play.”
When it’s a transformation for avid players, Pistons big name Cade Cunningham says he understands Bickerstaff’s impeccable coverage.
“You know, in school classrooms a lot of times teachers say, ‘Take off your hood,'” Cunningham said. “So it’s all the same. It’s just about being professional and being ready to play.”
This custom dress code is just one small way Bickerstaff is trying to change the culture of a Pistons team that went top-scoring in back-to-back seasons, including losing a league-record 28 instant games in the maximum generation. The question now is whether he’s helping Detroit take tangible steps forward on the court throughout games.
