Not everyone that plays basketball for the Detroit Pistons is going to become a legend. There are only so many Thomas’s, Dumars’, Wallace’s (well, at least there were two of those), and Darko’s. We remember Andre Drummond, but most of those who played with him are already a fading memory. If I told you that a player from last year’s Pistons team was dominating Australia’s National Basketball League, could you guess who I’m talking about?
It’s Derrick Walton.
Detroit Pistons: Derrick Walton finds his place in Australia
During his NBA pitstop he played three games, all of them starts, averaging 6.3 points, seven assists and 3.3 rebounds. He fared better in the G-League. In 12 starts for the Motor City Cruise, he put up 13.6 points, 7.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds while also showing some propensity for the 3-ball. Walton, who was born in Detroit, played four seasons of college ball at Michigan where he improved each year, wrapping up his time with the program in 2017.
At barely six feet tall, Walton has had a solid career for himself in professional basketball so far. He was undrafted after his senior season, he bounced around the NBA for five years until getting a bag from the Sydney Kings last summer. At the time, he expressed how meaningful it was to him to play basketball someplace he felt wanted.
"“I think, being transparent, I feel like obviously I know I’m an NBA player. I feel like I would be a really good backup point guard. But at this point, I just want to go somewhere where I’m valued,” Walton said. “And if that comes back full circle, then I would take it. But as far as now, I want to just make sure I’m enjoying the game as much as possible, being in the best situation every single chance I get a chance to be and then overall, I let stuff take care of itself."
It looks like he made a great decision. Walton has had a strong season in Sydney, with averages of 16.5 ppg, 6.3 apg, and 4.0 rpg, he’s showing some of that potential to be a backup NBA point guard like he talked about. He can put an exclamation point on his statement with a Kings victory in the NBL championship series, which begins today.