Detroit Pistons: 10 best power forwards in team history
By Amaar Burton
5. Mel Hutchins (1953-57)
Mel Hutchins’ individual stats might not exactly align with his resume of accolades, but keep in mind that he played in a very different era during the NBA’s relative infancy.
In four years with the Fort Wayne Pistons, Hutchins — who at 6’6″ played power forward and center — averaged 11.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while shooting 39.6 percent from the field.
Those would be pedestrian stats in 2019, and that shooting percentage would be awful for a big man, but Hutchins took those numbers and racked up three All-Star selections and twice finished in the top-10 of league MVP voting.
Hutchins also helped the Pistons make it to the NBA Finals twice. They lost to the Syracuse Nationals in 1955 and the Philadelphia Warriors in 1956.
Hutchins’ most impressive statistical achievement was during his rookie year with the Milwaukee Hawks, when he averaged 13.3 rebounds per game and led the league with 880 total rebounds. Hutchins and Wilt Chamberlain are still the only rookies to lead the NBA in total rebounds.
The Pistons traded Hutchins to the Knicks in 1957 (getting Harry Gallatin in exchange), and a knee injury in 1958 ended his career before he’d turned 30 years old.