On Monday night, the Detroit Pistons took the floor in Miami hoping to secure their first win of the 2024-25 season. They stayed within striking distance of the Miami Heat, but once again narrowly failed. Although the Pistons couldn’t escape with a win, JB Bickerstaff still liked what he saw from one of the team’s new additions.

To bring more experience to the roster, Tim Hardaway Jr. was the first player Trajan Langdon brought to Detroit this offseason. The veteran guard has been in a variety of situations throughout the league and brings much-needed skills like outside shooting to the roster.

Hardaway Jr. had his struggles in the preseason but seems to be finding his footing again. Monday night was a real breakthrough for him as he finished the game with 20 points while shooting an efficient 50% from the field.

After the Pistons’ 106-98 loss, Bickerstaff was asked for his opinion on THJ’s performance against the Heat. He applauded the journeyman guard for his play on both ends of the floor.

“I thought Tim not only made his shots, but also how defensively he was.” Bickerstaff said. “He was physical, he got on the ball and that’s what we didn’t do in the first half… I thought Tim did a good job of taking it upon himself to keep the ball under control and being physical at the point of attack,” and then obviously firing shots.”

Considering Hardaway has started every game so far, it’s clear that Bickerstaff is confident in his ability to develop the young players around the rim. After this strong performance, the experienced guard will now look to maintain this momentum going forward. Detroit has an off day on Tuesday before heading to Philadelphia to face the 76ers on Wednesday night.