Detroit Pistons all-time roster: The best players in franchise history
By Zac Snyder
Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, Larry Foust, Bailey Howell
Laimbeer – Isiah Thomas may have been the heart and soul of the Bad Boy Pistons but Bill Laimbeer was the embodiment of the moniker. He was the classic player you hate when he plays for someone else but love when he’s on your team.
Unforunately, part of Laimbeer’s basketball legacy is having his name attached to one of the worst games ever released for the SNES, but we won’t hold that against him here.
Rodman – “The Worm” was known as a rebounder and defender but did you know he has the best two-point field goal percentage in Pistons history?
It’s true that Dennis Rodman was a great rebounder and defender but it’s crazy just how eye-popping the numbers are. His Pistons career average ranks just fifth on the franchise all-time list but that is because he didn’t top double-digit rebound averages until his fifth year when he started player more than 30 minutes per game for the first time. It was up and through the roof from there, topping out at a crazy 18.7 rebounds per game in 1991-92. The closest anyone league-wide has come to that kind of rebound average since then is Andre Drummond‘s 16.0 in 2017-18.
Foust – It would be easy to forget Larry Foust’s place in franchise history considering it has been over 60 years since he played for the Pistons and the fact he never played in Detroit. Foust was the superstar of the Fort Wayne Pistons back in the 50s and was traded just before the Pistons’ inaugural season in Detroit. Even so, his name is weaved throughout the franchise record books as he remains in the franchise’s top ten for free throws, free throw attempts, rebounds, rebounds per game and player efficiency rating.
Howell – Drafted second overall in 1959, you might say that Bailey Howell was the franchise’s first start player of the Detroit era. His five years as a Piston came between the time Larry Foust departed and the arrival of Dave Bing and saw him make four All-Star teams. It was a fairly short run in Detroit considering his NBA career lasted 12 seasons but it was enough to still rank in the franchise’s top ten for free throws, rebounds, points per game and player efficiency rating.
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So that’s our all-time Pistons team. Are there particular picks you would have excluded or players not on this squad you feel should have made it? Leave a constructive comment below or connect with Detroit Jock City on Twitter.