Detroit Pistons’ season countdown: 32 days for #32

We are mercifully less than two weeks away from the start of training camp for the Detroit Pistons and there is cautious optimism around the team.

With Cade Cunningham returning, and more progress from Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, the Pistons are hoping to finally climb out of the basement of the Eastern Conference.

Ivey thinks the Pistons are going to “shock some people” next season and he could be right, as they have a deeper and more balanced roster and Cunningham could be the star that binds it all together.

There are now just 32 days until the regular season begins, so continuing in our season countdown, we’ll look at a #32 who helped define an era.

Richard “Rip” Hamilton was an all-time great for the Detroit Pistons

If you want to know the impact that Richard Hamilton made for the Detroit Pistons, just look into the rafters the next time you’re at a home game and you will see his jersey number hanging there with the other all-time greats who played in Detroit.

Hamilton was a key part of the “Goin’ to Work” team that won a title and had Detroit’s most sustained run of success, making the Eastern Conference Finals six years in a row and narrowly missing a second championship.

Hamilton averaged 18.4 points, 3.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 631 games for the Pistons, making the All-Star team three times and establishing himself as one of the best mid-range shooters in the game.

He was relentless on offense, running around screens and wearing down his defenders with constant motion just waiting for that elbow jumper that was one of the money shots in the NBA at that time.

Up until his last two seasons in Detroit, Hamilton rarely missed a game and was productive for most of his career, which is why he is in the top 10 in several Pistons all-time categories, including games played, minutes played, field goal and free-throw percentage to name a few.

The trade to acquire Hamilton turned out to be one of Joe Dumars’ signature moves, as he sent out a talented player in Jerry Stackhouse but brought back a guy who ended up being part of the foundation of a title team.

Richard Hamilton is one of the greatest Detroit Pistons of all time, so we salute him with just 32 days to go until the regular season.