Detroit Pistons: Top-5 players in franchise history
Detroit Pistons: Top-5 players of all time
#4: Bob Lanier
Stats: 22.7 points, 3.3 assists, 11.8 rebounds per game in 9 and a half seasons with the Detroit Pistons.
Lanier made seven All-Star games with the Pistons and even won the All-Star game MVP in 1974.
In the first season in which the NBA recorded blocks and steals, Lanier averaged three blocks as well as a steal and a half, yet still did not lead the NBA in either stat. The Defensive Player of the Year award did not yet exist, leaving that as the sole reason he did not win the award.
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Lanier was a top tier scorer while also contributing to wins with his elite defense and surprisingly decent playmaking as well.
Lanier never eclipsed 40 minutes per game in an era where over exerting players was common practice despite averaging nearly 25 points and 12 rebounds in nearly every season during his time in Detroit.
Lanier was one of the players that kept the Pistons special while waiting to be blessed by the Bad Boys’ two years of dominance.
Speaking of Bad Boys…