Top 5 shooting guards in Detroit Pistons history

John Long

John Long is not someone you’ll hear brought up often when discussing the greatest Detroit Pistons.

He had three different stints with the Pistons and spent most of his 10 seasons in Detroit coming off the bench.

Long averaged 15.9 points, 2.0 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals.

His first four seasons were his most impressive and illustrates just how good he could be, even despite primarily coming off the bench.

From 1978 to 1982 he averaged 18.7 points, 2.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals while starting in just 66 of his 279 games.

Long’s scoring ability was incredibly valuable to the team and saw him averaging starter’s minutes despite being a bench player, similar to how James Harden was used in Oklahoma City.

In just his second season in the NBA he arguably had his best season, averaging 19.4 points, 3 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and in 1981-82 after being given his first chance to start he averaged 21.9 points for the season.

Long was also Isiah Thomas’s first backcourt partner in the NBA, something which he undoubtedly would have benefited from.

Next: Vinnie Johnson