If you ask fans of the Detroit Pistons to list the team’s best players, most of them would rattle off the same names.
Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Grant Hill, Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, Bob Lanier and Dave Bing would immediately come to mind and guys like Dennis Rodman, Richard Hamilton and Bill Laimbeer wouldn’t be far behind.
But the Pistons have had a lot of good players over the years, some of whom have been largely forgotten or underrated for various reasons. Some of them were role players who didn’t play a glamorous style, while others spent only a short time in Detroit.
There were a lot of options for the most underrated players in Pistons’ history, but these five immediately came to mind.
I am sure there are other candidates, but I tried to pick players who I actually watched personally (yeah, I’m old) and guys who aren’t usually mentioned among the Pistons’ all time greats.
Detroit Pistons: The mysterious case of Bison Dele
Bison Dele is not only one of the most underrated Pistons of all time, but probably the most interesting, mysterious and sad.
Dele, who was once known as Brian Williams, was a unique talent at center who was never really able to put it all together. He only played two seasons for the Detroit Pistons but had a career year in 1997-98, averaging 16.2 points and 8.9 rebounds.
He inexplicably quit a season later and walked away from a ton of money even though he was still in his prime. There was talk that Dele never really liked basketball all that much and wanted to pursue other interests after he had enough money to retire.
Unfortunately, Dele was murdered (allegedly by his own brother) along with his girlfriend on a boat in the South Pacific.
Dele was an interesting person and his life ended in tragedy, but at his peak he was one of the most talented bigs in the game. Here are some highlights to enjoy.
Most underrated Detroit Pistons #4- Allan Houston
Allan Houston was definitely ahead of his time when he played for the Detroit Pistons. He only spent three seasons in Detroit, but was a really good player who the Pistons probably should have kept longer.
The Pistons let Houston walk as a free agent and he went to the Knicks, where he was eventually a two-time All Star and one of the best shooters in the history of the NBA.
Houston is one of those players whose game would be even more effective now in the 3-ball era, as the guy could flat out shoot it.
In his best season for the Pistons, Houston averaged 19.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3 assists while shooting 42.7 percent from 3-point range on 5.5 attempts per game.
Houston is now mostly remembered as the guy who signed one of the biggest contracts in NBA history at the time and forced the league to change the Collective Bargaining Agreement to allow teams to amnesty players. It was known as the “Allan Houston Rule,” as he was owed a ton of money and kept getting injured.
Houston was another guy who probably didn’t full live up to his potential, mostly due to injuries, but he was a very good player whose name I don’t hear pop up much in conversations about the Pistons.
Most underrated Detroit Pistons #3- Corliss Williamson
The Goin’ to Work era is probably the most well-known period of Detroit Pistons basketball, as the team won a title and had some of the most popular and beloved players in team history.
Most of their jerseys now hang from the rafters, but one guy who rarely gets mentioned in that group is Corliss “Big Nasty” Williamson.
Williamson played for the Pistons from 2001-2004 and was a key part of the bench for the team that won the title.
But Williamson’s best season for the Pistons came in 2001-2 when he averaged 13.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists off the bench for Detroit and took home the 6th Man of the Year award.
Williamson was a very good two-way player who could carry the team offensively off the bench and provide physical defense at several positions.
Williamson definitely wasn’t afraid to mix it up and was part of some of the Pistons’ best on-court scuffles. Here is a highlight that I think summarizes his career well, as he got hot and couldn’t be stopped, so the Pacers fouled him hard and Big Nasty took exception.
He really did embody the Detroit Pistons of that era and was much better than people remember.
By the way, if you aren’t following @Charlottean28 on Twitter, you are missing some great content.
Most underrated Detroit Pistons #2- Lindsey Hunter
Of all the players on this list, Lindsey Hunter is my personal favorite, and I absolutely loved watching him play.
He played a whopping 12 seasons for the Detroit Pistons over two different eras, starting in the Grant Hill age (aka the Teal Nightmare era) and coming back for most of the Goin’ to Work era as well.
In Hunter’s best season for Detroit, he averaged 14.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists to go along with 1.6 steals.
Hunter was mostly known for being one of the most tenacious on-the-ball defenders of his time, a guy who was an absolute pest who would guard his man the entire length of the floor.
Even though he was only 6-foot-2, he could guard just about anyone on the perimeter, as he wasn’t afraid to get right up in the guy’s grill and had some of the quickest feet and hands I’ve ever seen.
He played outstanding defense on Kobe Bryant in the 2004 Finals, (you can see some of it here) and even though no one really “stopped” Kobe, Hunter made it as difficult for him as anyone even though he was giving up 4-5 inches.
Hunter may have had a baby face and a big smile but his defense was nasty and I loved watching him play.
Most underrated Detroit Pistons #1- Tayshaun Prince
You might be surprised to see Tayshaun on this list, as he was a starter on a title team and is still beloved by the fans. He was also one of the biggest draft steals in Pistons history.
But his name is usually the last one mentioned when people talk about that era, as fans tend to focus on Ben Wallace, Rasheed or Chauncey.
In my opinion, the 2003-2004 Detroit Pistons had the best defense of all time, a perfect mixture of guys who were versatile, committed and perfectly suited to play together.
They were the perfect defense, and one of the big reasons was because Tayshaun Prince could guard just about anyone.
Prince always took the toughest assignment on the wing, and his combination of length and motor made him one of the best defenders of his era.
He had one of the best blocks in the history of the NBA, a play that still gives me goosebumps:
I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that if Prince had not blocked that shot, the Pistons might not have won the title.
He was also a smooth offensive player who shot the 3-ball well and could rebound his position, so Prince had a strong all-around game and would probably be even better if he played now.
What do you think? Who is the most underrated Detroit Piston of all time? Leave your answers in the comments.