Detroit Pistons: 10 best point guards in team history

5. Allen Iverson (2008-09)

“The Answer” only played one season in Detroit, and it wasn’t even a complete season.

Allen Iverson was traded to the Pistons by the Denver Nuggets three games into the 2008-09 campaign, and appeared in just 54 games with Detroit before his tenure with the team ended under a cloud of controversy.

The back injury that the organization cited in its explanation for shutting Iverson down prior to the playoffs has long been rumored to be a smokescreen. Many believe that team president Joe Dumars and head coach Michael Curry simply didn’t want Iverson around anymore after they had clashed regarding A.I.’s role on the court.

Still, in his brief time with the Pistons, the Hall of Fame point guard was very Iverson-ish between the lines and showed flashes of the man who is considered pound-for-pound one of the greatest scorers in history.

Iverson averaged 17.4 points, 4.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game for Detroit and was selected to play in the 2009 All-Star Game. While he didn’t get to play in the playoffs, he did help the team qualify for the postseason with his work during the regular season.

At 33 years old and famously banged up from a career spent being knocked down and getting back up, the four-time NBA scoring leader had nine games with Detroit in which he scored 25-plus points. The highlight was a vintage 38-point, seven-assist, three-steal effort in 54 grueling minutes of a double-overtime game against the Utah Jazz.