Detroit Pistons: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history
2. Isiah Thomas (PG) — No. 2 pick in 1981 NBA Draft
Career stats (with the Pistons): 979 GP, 19.2 PPG, 9.3 APG, 3.6 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 3.8 TOV, 45.2 FG%, 29.0 3P%, 75.9 FT%
It’s easy to make a case for Isiah Lord Thomas III as the greatest player in franchise history.
The Detroit Pistons drafted Thomas with the No. 3 pick in the 1981 NBA Draft. He became the floor general the Pistons needed to hang two championship banners in the rafters.
A perennial All-Star, Thomas played on 12 consecutive All-Star teams. He led the NBA with 13.9 assists per game in 1984-85 and he also made the All-NBA team five times. Thomas began his Hall of Fame career by earning Rookie of the Year honors.
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During the 1989 championship run, he averaged 18.2 points, 8.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. He turned it up a couple of notches when the Pistons repeated as NBA champions in 1990. Thomas averaged 20.5 points, 8.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game during their second championship run. The effort paid off and Thomas earned NBA Finals MVP honors.
His name is etched in the record books. Thomas ranks first all-time in points (18,822), assists (9,061) and steals (1,861). He is also ranked in the top 10 for scoring average, games played, 3-pointers made and rebounds. Thomas is also a member of the NBA’s Top 50 team.
Yes, it would’ve been easy and expected to name Thomas the greatest draft pick in franchise history. He played at Indiana under the infamous Bobby Knight. He was the third pick in the first round of a draft that included Mark Aguirre, (No. 1 overall), Danny Ainge, Albert King, Kelly Tripucka and Buck Williams. People expected him to be great. They expected him to be a franchise player.
For this list, we’re not going to throw someone a parade for doing what they’re expected to do. The Pistons’ best draft pick went to a smaller school, got drafted later on, and became a cornerstone to all three of the Pistons’ NBA championships.