DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Detroit Pistons have finalized their coaching staff under head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, the team announced Monday morning.
Two coaches from Monty Williams' staff last year have been retained: former player Jarett Jack and Steve Scalzi
Jack won't be the only former NBA player on the staff, with Luke Walton being hired. Walton played for 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavliers. He previously coached with the Golden State Warriors (2014-16) including a brief interim stint at the start of the 2015-26 season where he won Western Conference Coach of the month. Walton has spent the last two seasons on Bickerstaff's staff with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and previously served as head coach of the Sacramento Kings (2019-2022). He's the son of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton.
Here is the rest of the staff, including a few more former NBA players:
- Fred Vinson has been officially announced as an assistant coach, after reports of his hiring came in June. He has spent the last 14 seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, working under former Pelicans general manager and current Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon. Vinson specializes in shooting, helping the Pelicans to a top-11 three-point shooting percentage in the leue six times. He previously played 13 seasons of professional basketball, including two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and the Seattle SuperSonics, plus stints in the Philippines, Israel, Venzuela, Poland and France.
- Sidney Lowe returns to Detroit in his third stint coaching in Detroit. Lowe played in the NBA for four seasons, including stints with the Pistons, the Indiana Pacers, the Atlanta Hawks and the Minnesota Timberwolves. He previously was the lead assistant under Flip Saunders with the Pistons in 2005-06, when the Pistons made the Eastern Conference Finals, and has served as head coach of his alma mater, North Carolina State (2006-11)
- Vitaly Potapenka joins the Pistons after 14 seasons with New Oreleans. He played in 610 games with the Boston Celtics, the Cavaliers, the SuperSonics and the Kings after being drafted in 1996. He also previously played in Ukraine before coming to the NBA, after being born in Kyiv.
- Kevin Burleson joins the Pistons after serings as head coach of the Houston Rockets' G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, over the last two seasons. He also has coached with the Timberwolves and the Memphis Grizzlies, and played four seasons at the University of Minnesota.
- Jerome Allen rejoins the Pistons for his second stint as an assistant coach. He coached under Dwane Casey (2021-23) before serving as a pro personnel scout with the Boston Celtics last season. He was also the head coach at the University of Pennsylvania, where he played college ball, for five seasons.
- Josh Estes joins the Pistons after coaching with Bickerstaff in Cleveland the last four seasons, serving as an analyst and analytics coordinator.
The Pistons have had an active off-season, under new leadership in President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon, who made several trades and reportedly signed No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham to a 5-year, $224 million extension.
RELATED: J.B. Bickerstaff introduced as Pistons head coach
RELATED: Pistons leaning on J.B. Bickerstaff's experience in leading young teams
RELATED: Pistons officially introduce Trajan Langdon as President of Basketball Operations
