Detroit Pistons all-time pickup team

Rounding out the Pistons all-time pickup team is center Bob Lanier. Lanier could hoop back in the day. He was the number one overall draft pick for the Pistons in 1970-71, and was named to the All-Rooke First Team that season.

His rookie season was also the only season during his time with the Pistons that he averaged less than 20 points per game. He put up 15.6 points and 8.1 rebounds that year, and followed it up with a sophomore season where he recorded a 25.7/14.2 line.

Over the course of his ten years with the Pistons he averaged 22.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.

Despite Lanier’s dominant stats, he had competition for this spot from both Bill Laimbeer and Ben Wallace.

Laimbeer could defend, rebound and score, and had a mean streak that would win you some pickup games but likely not ever get you rematches. He averaged 13.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game with the Pistons.

While Laimbeer was in the running, the biggest challenge to Lanier starting at center for this team was Ben Wallace.

The man couldn’t score and fans behind the basket needed to take cover when he was shooting free throws, but nobody was more ferocious on the floor. He could defend like a beast and absorbed rebounds, and he could drag a team to victory on his effort alone.

While Big Ben was a Piston, he scored 6.6 points per game and pulled down 11.1 rebounds per game, along with 1.4 steals and 2.3 blocks per game, an astonishing number for a 6-foot-9 center who was rumoured to be even shorter than that.