Detroit Pistons: 10 best rookie seasons in franchise history

1. Grant Hill (1994-95)

The expectations placed on Grant Hill when he was drafted by the Pistons with the third overall pick in 1994 couldn’t have been higher. He was expected to be the franchise’s savior, its marquee superstar, and he needed to do just about everything on the court for a team that was in disarray in the fallout from the abrupt end of the “Bad Boys” era.

Hill answered the call. The 6’7″ small forward out of Duke was a star from day one, averaging a team-high 19.9 points and 1.8 steals per game as a rookie, to go with 6.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists. (By his second season, Hill was leading the Pistons in all four of those stat categories.)

The Pistons missed the playoffs, but improved by eight victories from the previous season. Hill was voted co-Rookie of the Year along with Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd.

Off the court, Hill was a mainstream celebrity and viewed as perhaps the NBA’s next global superstar during a time when Michael Jordan was enjoying his first retirement.

Hill was the leading vote-getter for the 1995 NBA All-Star Game. He wasn’t just the first rookie in NBA history to do that, but he was also the first rookie in any of the four major U.S. sports to do that.

Hill won an Olympic gold medal with the U.S. national team in 1996. He made five All-Star appearances and collected five All-NBA nods in his six seasons with the Pistons before leaving for the Orlando Magic as a free agent in 2000.

Injuries would hinder Hill for the rest of his career after that, but he managed to play in the league until he was 40 years old. He will still be a Hall of Fame inductee due to his spectacular run with the Pistons as well as his college and international success.