Detroit Pistons: Best players to wear numbers 9 and 25

The Detroit Pistons selected Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser with the 5th and 25th picks, respectively, in the 2023 NBA Draft.

It appears as though the two have already chosen their numbers and that Thompson will wear #9 and Sasser #25.

The Detroit Pistons have 10 retired player numbers to go along with Chuck Daly, former owner Bill Davidson and former GM Jack McCloskey.

Numbers 1-4 are off limits thanks to Chauncey Billups (1), Chuck Daly (2), Ben Wallace (3) and Joe Dumars (4). Dennis Rodman and Isiah Thomas have 10 and 11, 15 and 16 are Vinnie Johnson and Bob Lanier, 21 is Dave Bing, and Richard Hamilton (32) and Bill Laimbeer (40) round out the retired numbers for Detroit.

Neither #9 nor #25 have a deep history of great players, so Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser have their chance to make their mark on Pistons’ numerical history.

Detroit Pistons: Best players to wear numbers 9 and 25

24 different players have worn the number nine for the Detroit Pistons, but you’d have to go all the way back to 1957 to find an All-Star. That was #9 Mel Hutchins, who played with the Pistons back when they were Fort Wayne.

After that the number was mostly worn by one-offs and busted role players like John Lucas III and Michael Gbinije. Langston Galloway wore the number from 2018-20 and provided some nice moments for fans.

But the best player to wear #9 for the Pistons was probably Jerami Grant (no offense to Mel Hutchins), who was with Detroit from 2020-22 and could look to return this summer as a free agent.

The history of #25 isn’t much better, as John Long, a 10-year journeyman with Detroit who spanned from 1979-1991 (with a few years in between with other teams) is one of the best to wear the number. Long was a solid player, but hardly a star.

There weren’t many players of note until Amir Johnson wore the number from 2006-2009 before it went to Kyle Singler (ugh) and Reggie Bullock. Tyler Cook and Derrick Walton have worn it most recently, but the best player to wear 25 was probably Derrick Rose, who had his last good season in the league with Detroit.

He only played 65 games for the Pistons but had one season where he averaged 18, mostly off of the bench in the last throes of his career.

So both Pistons rookies have a chance to be the best player who has ever worn their numbers, or could join the list of guys who came and went from the team and our memories.