The Detroit Pistons’ best all-time draft starting lineup

Detroit Pistons’ best all-time draft starting lineup

Power forward: Dennis Rodman (1986)

What an era this was for Pistons’ drafts, as they just kept stacking talent year after year, which is the main reason they went on to win two titles. The Pistons drafted “The Worm” in the second round when he was already 25-years-hold, which is hard to imagine now.

Rodman only made the All-Star team twice and All-NBA twice, but he was also Defensive Player of the Year twice, made the All-Defensive team eight times and led the league in rebounding a whopping seven times in his career.

But more importantly, Rodman was a winner, as he has five rings between the Pistons and the Bulls. Though his recent legacy has been more about his off-the-court life, Rodman is arguably the most unique player to ever play in the NBA, as he was a late bloomer who couldn’t shoot and became one of the best rebounders and defenders of all time through sheer will and otherworldly athleticism.

There was no one like Rodman and I doubt there ever will be again.

Small forward: Grant Hill (1994)

Hill probably gets overlooked as an all-time great in the larger picture of the NBA, but he really was something special.

His versatility and all-around greatness on both ends made him one of the best players of his era, a triple-double machine who could do a little bit of everything and was a pioneer of the point-forward.

Hill was a seven-time All-Star but you have to wonder what his career might have looked like if he hadn’t had to miss so much time to injuries. From 2000-2004 (the prime of his career) Hill only played 47 games total, missing most of four full seasons.

If he hadn’t missed those seasons we might be talking about him as one of the greatest small forwards in league history, as few players have been able to impact the game like he did. Nevertheless, he is still the best small forward the Detroit Pistons ever drafted.

This starting five has a combination of offense and defense that would be tough to match up against, and you’d be hard-pressed to make a better all-draft team from just about any franchise.