Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has won over a bunch of players in his short time at the team’s helm.
Big man Larry Nance Jr. boasted about Bickerstaff’s ability to build relationships with players, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“He talks to you like peers, on the same level,” Nance said. “And then from there you build a level of respect and friendship. J.B. has done a good job of balancing the friend/coach role. He’s very easy to talk to.”
Bickerstaff, 41, took over for former head coach John Beilein at the All-Star break.
Although the sample size is small, Bickerstaff did a phenomenal job with the Cavs before the novel coronavirus halted their season.
In 11 games under Bickerstaff’s leadership, the Cavs collected a 5-6 record.
The head coach did a particularly great job guiding the team’s young players, with Collin Sexton exploding under his tutelage. As a matter of fact, Sexton put up 30.0 points and 4.6 assists per game in March.
The Cavs finished the 2019-20 season with a 19-46 record.
Off the court, Bickerstaff has been just as impactful. The head coach has been extremely vocal about the social justice issues that have swirled across the country in recent weeks.
In fact, the Cavs are teaming up with the Cleveland Browns to take on social issues in the city of Cleveland.
