Detroit Pistons: Ranking the Pistons’ 21st Century All-Stars

Ben Wallace #3 of the Detroit Pistons celebrates with his teammates Rasheed Wallace #30 and Chauncey Billups #1 (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Ben Wallace #3 of the Detroit Pistons celebrates with his teammates Rasheed Wallace #30 and Chauncey Billups #1 (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Detroit Pistons, Richard Hamilton
MIAMI, FL – DECEMBER 01: Richard Hamilton #32 of the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Detroit Pistons’ All Stars:  No. 5 Andre Drummond

Andre Drummond was never on a really good Pistons team, which is unfortunate as he would have been the perfect complementary piece to a ball-dominant small forward like Paul George or Jimmy Butler.

He was a two-time All-Star in Detroit and led the league in rebounds four times while averaging around 14 points with solid defense. Never a liability (aside from on the free-throw line), Drummond was a workhorse. He only played less than 75 games once, and that was his rookie season.

Drummond was consistently one of the better centers in the league, he just never had a complementary player to make a real push in the postseason.

Detroit Pistons’ All Stars:  No. 4 Rasheed Wallace

One could say Rasheed’s best years were spent in Portland, but that doesn’t really matter. He won a ring in Detroit. In Detroit, every one of his stats improved aside from points and assists, but he was on a better team and could take a more comfortable role.

He was an incredibly important asset to the 2004 team, but he was not the best or most important on that team. Without him, they may not have won, but without any of those players, the same case can be made.

His PER was the best on the championship team, but he didn’t put up as many shots as Chauncey, so the numbers aren’t the most important thing.

Detroit Pistons’ All Stars:  No. 3 Richard Hamilton

Rip Hamilton was the perfect complement to Chauncey Billups on the Pistons teams of the early aughts. While he didn’t score at high volume like other players at his position, his true shooting percentage of 46 percent is often forgotten about.

He was not the defensive specialist that his teammates were, but he provided efficient scoring in big minutes.

As a ballhandler and playmaker, his turnovers and assist ratio wasn’t awful, and he was able to avoid foul trouble. His stretch of three straight all-star games from 2005-07 was an anomaly, as he exploded into being the league’s best shooters from mid-range, and had a true shooting percentage of over 50 percent all three years.

Had Rip kept those numbers up for the rest of his career, he would have a case at the greatest Piston ever, but he didn’t, so he takes the third spot on this list.