For the first time in a long time, the Detroit Pistons have two star players on the roster. Which one of them is the team’s top dog?
There are worse problems for an NBA team to have than uncertainty at the top of the food chain.
Teams that have multiple players who are good enough to be considered the No. 1 player — stars or superstars in particular — are usually talented enough to be considered serious contenders.
The reigning champion Golden State Warriors of course have Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry trading that spot from game to game. The Philadelphia 76ers, a dark horse 2019 NBA Finals pick, are sorting that out with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The Miami Heat used to have that dilemma with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
The Detroit Pistons have not had that problem for a long time.
Only one player has represented the Pistons at the NBA All-Star Game in this decade. Andre Drummond, the team’s 25-year-old center, has received All-Star nods twice in the last three years. Before that, Detroit’s last All-Star was Allen Iverson in 2009. The last time the Pistons had more than one All-Star was a full 10 years ago, when Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace earned those honors in 2008.
After trading for five-time All-Star forward Blake Griffin last February, however, the Pistons go into the 2018-19 season with two bona fide stars on the roster.
So which one is Detroit’s best player? Let’s break down each facet of Drummond and Griffin’s games to determine the answer.