A closer look at the all-time five greatest players in Detroit Pistons franchise history that only ended playing one season with the team.
The Detroit Pistons have long been an organization with ambition on bringing out the very best from their players. When it pans out, the team has themselves a hidden gem or a veteran talent that produces more than expected. This is a goal that essentially all other organizations aspire to accomplish but not all have consistently pulled it off. But for Detroit, this has not been the case as of late due to lackluster draft picks and lackadaisical long-term planning.
However, the Pistons’ lengthy team history is filled with such cases where a player emerges to exceed initial expectations.
Some of these talents went on to become long-term superstars for the franchise. The likes of Joe Dumars became a franchise steal as the 18th overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft. Dennis Rodman was an unknown player in the NCAA Division II rank before becoming a defensive anchor for the Bad Boys Pistons. And before Ben Wallace became a low-post force in Detroit, the four-time Defensive Player of the Year was still finding his place in the NBA while with a couple of other teams.
There are countless other cases as well. Not all were able to contribute for long like those three mentioned players. Others became fan favorites in their quite short tenure in Detroit.
These five players are prime examples of just that. They all spent one year with the Pistons and found a way to elevate the team’s overall quality of play. Many were well-known stars in the league that spent the latter time of their career as a journeyman.
Many were considered, but here are the top five greatest one-season wonders in Pistons franchise history.