Detroit Pistons: The 10 Best Pistons not in the Hall of Fame

Detroit Pistons: Tayshaun Prince, Forward, 2002-2012, 2015

One of the best players to not make an All-Star game even once, Prince was one of the best two-way players of his time. His defense helped Detroit win the 2004 Finals, and his outside shot, especially at the start of his career, established him as an elite scoring threat. Trading him to Memphis was probably a good idea, as his numbers dropped drastically, but in a Detroit uniform, he was amazing.

Jerry Stackhouse, Guard/Forward, 1998-02

Stackhouse did not spend enough time in Detroit to even be considered as an all-time Piston great, but he did have one of the best individual seasons in recent memory. In 2000-01, he scored nearly 30 points from all over the floor and dished out over five assists, all while playing decent defense. Detroit would later trade him for Rip Hamilton, which was a good move, but Stackhouse was a scoring machine. He wouldn’t have fit well on the Bad Boys or the 2004 team, but he was the face of Detroit basketball during that in-between era, and he did it really well.

Rip Hamilton, Guard/Forward, 2002-11

Hamilton was the best scorer on the 2004 team, let’s make that clear. He hovered around 18 points per game during his time in a Pistons uniform, and he was a mid-range machine, especially as he began to peak in 2005-07. He was only an All-Star three times, but that’s an insult to his game and the entire city. If he didn’t play with a team-first culture, I really believe he could have averaged 25 a night for a few years, maybe even more. But Hamilton wasn’t a scorer first, he was just a winner. He hasn’t been given enough praise for his career, which is truly a shame.