Top 5 centers in Detroit Pistons history

Rick Mahorn

Rick Mahorn flip-flopped between power forward and center throughout his long career, but for the sake of this countdown I’ve considered him to be a center.

Mahorn arrived at the Pistons in 1985 after spending the first five seasons of his career with the Washington Bullets.

He put in a few solid seasons, but majorly dropped off in his final season in Washington, averaging just 6.3 points and 7.9 rebounds in 26.9 minutes a game.

His first season in Detroit was equally disappointing, as Mahorn was used off the bench and had a tough time adjusting.

Mahorn averaged 4.9 points and 5.9 rebounds, numbers that were reminiscent of his rookie year.

The next season he improved slightly, but still wasn’t performing to the level he was at in Washington.

In the 1987-88 season he found himself starting, and despite not playing significantly more minutes he had one of his best seasons, averaging 10.7 points and 8.4 rebounds.

It was much of the same the next season and he became an integral part of the Pistons 1989 championship team.

While his numbers weren’t out of this world, Mahorn gave the Pistons a huge presence on defence and was a strong shot blocker.

Mahorn never set the world on fire, but he filled a much needed role for the Pistons and being able to fill the power forward or center role gave them flexibility.