Top 5 power forwards in Detroit Pistons history
Apr 20, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (34) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers forward Richard Jefferson (24) during the third quarter in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 107-90. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Detroit Pistons have an extensive franchise history spanning all the way back to 1941 when they were the Fort Wayne Pistons playing in the National Basketball League.
As the offseason keeps chugging along we’ll be counting down the five best players of all time at each position for the Detroit Pistons.
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Today we’ll be looking at the five best power forwards to have played for the Pistons over the course of the franchise’s history.
Unlike the top five lists for point guards, shooting guards and small forwards, the power forward position is much harder to rank.
The Pistons have had a number of very good power forwards pull on the jersey over the years, yet there is no consensus best player unlike the other positions so far.
So here are the top five power forwards to ever play for the Detroit Pistons.
Greg Monroe
Greg Monroe anchored the power forward position for the Detroit Pistons during one of the franchise’s toughest periods.
Drafted with the 7th pick in 2010, Monroe spent the first five seasons of his career battling with a crew of misfits.
Through these years Monroe was almost the sole shining light in Detroit, averaging 14.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals.
One underrated aspect of Monroe’s game was his talent for distributing the ball, which was wasted most of the time.
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He had great awareness and was adept at passing out of the post to a player in space. However due to the talent the team had at the time, many of these passes went unrewarded.
His average of 2.3 assists per game is great for a big man, but is likely a lot lower than it should be.
Similarly, Monroe’s active hands on the defensive end were one of the best aspects of his game.
He was great at judging when to poke a ball lose, and it certainly helped mask that he wasn’t a great defender.
For the five years he spent in Detroit he was mostly the go-to guy. Once Andre Drummond started developing rapidly, however, he began to find himself being squeezed out of the team. It just wasn’t feasible playing Monroe alongside Drummond (especially not with Josh Smith at small forward).
In the 2015 offseason, it was no surprise when Monroe left for the Milwaukee Bucks via free agency.
Despite playing in one of the more forgettable periods in Pistons history, Monroe cemented himself as a top power forward.
Dave DeBusschere
Dave DeBusschere played in a time that not many people watching basketball today were around for.
In fact, other than die-hard fans, most people have probably never heard of DeBusschere.
Despite his relatively unknown status among today’s fans, he was one of the best players to pull on a Pistons uniform.
He was taken in the 1962 NBA draft as a territorial selection and was used at both the small forward and power forward positions, so it might be a little controversial to place him on the power forwards list.
However, because of the sheer weight of his rebounding I decided he fits as a power forward.
DeBusschere played in Detroit from 1963 to 1968, averaging 16.1 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
His averages would likely be far higher if he hadn’t gotten injured after just 15 games in his second season.
The loss of DeBusschere saw the Pistons slump to a disappointing record of 23-59 that season, which shows just how important he was to the team.
He was eventually traded to the New York Knicks for Walt Bellamy and Howard Komives. He went on to play for their 1970 NBA Championship winning team.
By the end of his seven seasons in Detroit he finished with 4,947 rebounds, good for 7th all time in Detroit Pistons history.
Dennis Rodman
Placing Dennis Rodman at third on the all time list of Pistons power forwards could be controversial for a couple of reasons.
The first potential issue is that he played a lot of time at small forward early in his career.
However, in his final two seasons he played pretty much permanently as power forward and he averaged a mind-boggling 18.7 and 18.3 rebounds while doing so.
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The second potential controversy stems from these stats; Rodman was so good at what he did it’s almost criminal that he’s only third.
However, Rodman was very much a bit part player in his first few years. He didn’t truly emerge into a beast until the latter half of his career in Detroit.
Across his seven seasons he averaged a pedestrian 8.8 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.3 assist.
His 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons are incredible though.
To average 18.5 rebounds across two seasons is insane and likely to never be replicated, even with a rebounding machine like Andre Drummond on the team.
Rodman went on to average similarly crazy rebounding numbers at the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls.
Even at the age of 38 on the Dallas Mavericks he managed to average 14.3 rebounds.
He is 2nd all time for the Pistons in offensive rebounds (2,395) and 3rd for defensive rebounds (3,904).
Rodman’s rebounding truly made him a once in a lifetime player.
Rasheed Wallace
Without Rasheed Wallace the Detroit Pistons likely don’t win the NBA Championship in 2004.
After a stint with the Portland Trail Blazers, Wallace had been kicked around the league. He was sent to the Atlanta Hawks for a solitary game before finding his way onto the Pistons.
Wallace immediately had an impact on the team and helped push the Pistons from good to great.
Despite being in the twilight of his career upon his arrival in Detroit, he was still able to impress on both sides of the ball.
He averaged 13.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 blocks per game in his six seasons.
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His shot blocking ability next to the even more formidable Ben Wallace was enough to scare anyone out of the paint.
Wallace was also stretching the floor from the power forward spot before it was the popular thing to do.
He shot 35 percent from deep on 4.2 attempts per game, giving the Pistons a legitimate scoring threat from outside at power forward.
The scoring ability of Wallace helped open the floor up for a team that was otherwise not really known for its firepower.
He shot the three well enough to find himself 5th for most three-point field goals made by a Piston with 581.
Wallace is also 9th in defensive rebounds (2,364) and 6th in blocks (623).
Not to mention, heended his career as the NBA’s all time leader in technical fouls (317), which naturally makes him all the more endearing.
Bailey Howell
Just like Dave DeBusschere earlier in this list, Bailey Howell is not a name you hear mentioned too often these days.
He played for the Pistons from 1959 to 1964, meaning he’s mostly forgotten today.
Being mostly unknown in 2016 doesn’t stop Howell from being the most offensively dominant power forward to play for the Pistons though.
Howell averaged 21.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
His standout season came in 1960-61 during his second season where he averaged 23.6 points and 14.4 rebounds, both of which were a mark he wouldn’t reach again.
His 14.4 rebounds per game is the 6th highest season average for a Piston, only finding himself behind names like Andre Drummond, Bob Lanier, Ben Wallace and Dennis Rodman.
Howell also made the all-star game every season after his rookie year in Detroit.
Putting him ahead of fan favourites like Dennis Rodman and Rasheed Wallace may be controversial, but on sheer weight of numbers he is the best power forward in Detroit Piston history.