Pistons' Coach Looking To Improve Team's Culture By Banning Hoodies At Practice

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The Detroit Pistons have been the laughingstock of the NBA for a half-decade now, having won 23 or fewer games in each of the last five seasons. That 23-win season came during the 2021-22 campaign, and while it's hard to fathom the franchise has taken a step backward since then, it has, having won 17 and 14 games over the last two seasons, respectively.

After the Pistons' 14-win campaign a year ago that didn't see the team win its fifth game until past the halfway point of the season, it understandably parted ways with head coach Monty Williams. The franchise went out and signed J.B. Bickerstaff to be the next head coach, and he's pulling out all the stops to turn things around in the Motor City.

This includes implementing a dress code for Pistons players during practice.

While players can wear team-issued hoodies during practice, their hoods must stay down. While it may sound odd for players to practice in hoodies with their hood up, it's relatively common, but it won't be in Detroit this season.

Cade Cunningham is on board with the Pistons not wearing hoodies during practice moving forward. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

"Just the last shred of that old-school mentality," Bickerstaff told The Athletic in regard to his new no-hoodie policy. "Just 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."

Cade Cunningham, the face of the Pistons' franchise, is on board with the new dress code.

"You know, in school classrooms a lot of times, teachers say, ‘Take your hood off.’ So it’s all the same thing," Cunningham explained. "It’s just about being professional and being ready to play."

When you're the worst team in the NBA by a large margin and have been for many years in a row, there is nothing to lose if you're Bickerstaff and the Pistons. If not wearing a hood gets the Pistons out of the league's basement, well, that's certainly an easy trade-off.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.