PistonPowered
Fansided

Top Ten Individual Seasons in Pistons History

By David Hoffman

Feb 10, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; (left to right) Vinnie Johnson and David Bing and Chauncey Billups and Isiah Thomas smile during a halftime retirement ceremony for Billups in the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Nuggets won 103-92. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 10, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; (left to right) Vinnie Johnson and David Bing and Chauncey Billups and Isiah Thomas smile during a halftime retirement ceremony for Billups in the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Nuggets won 103-92. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
9 of 12
Next

#4:  Ben Wallace (2002-03)

It is hard to name one early-2000’s Piston the “building block.”  The team was well-balanced and incredibly interdependent, making it hard to imagine it succeeding without all the parts. But if forced to choose, Ben Wallace would be it.

Arriving in Detroit via the Grant Hill trade, not much was expected of Wallace. They were hoping to just get anything they could for a superstar they knew was leaving in free agency. Well to say the least, they got something.

While Grant Hill’s career was derailed by injury, Wallace’s took off. In the 2002-2003 he had one of his best seasons, all while cementing himself as one of the most dominant defenders of his era by earning his second straight defensive player of the year award. Often by doing something like this:

Wallace led the team in blocks with 3.2 per game while hauling in a Rodman-esque 15.4 rebounds. He was an efficient enough finisher on the offensive end, stuffing home 48 percent of his attempts, mostly dunks. Active hands in the passing lanes netted him 1.4 steals a game.

They were hoping to just get anything they could for a superstar they knew was leaving in free agency. Well to say the least, they got something.

Like Rodman, numbers are insufficient to describe what Wallace provided the Pistons. He gave the franchise an identity, something it had lacked since the end of the Bad Boy era. Kids were wearing giant afros and screaming “defense!” until their lungs gave out.  Their parents were liable to do the same.

The next year the Pistons would win the championship.

Next: #3: Grant Hill (1996-97)