Detroit Pistons third-year forward Ausar Thompson finished third in the 2026 NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting, standing as arguably the best perimeter defender in the league. But is he even the best defender on his own team?
The Pistons were arguably the best defensive team in the Eastern Conference, sporting the second-best defensive rating in the NBA (108.9, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 106.5) and multiple high-quality defenders that could fit into any team’s defensive scheme. And as one of the brightest young defensive talents in the NBA, Thompson has gotten recognition as the best of a highly-skilled defensive bunch in Detroit.
But NBA fans who value interior defense over perimeter defense might classify center Isaiah Stewart as the more valuable defender than Thompson. Stat nerds might point out that the Piston regular with the best defensive stats is not Thompson, but forward Ron Holland II. Even Cade Cunningham’s defense is much better than people think, even though it often gets outshined by his elite offensive game.
But taken as a whole, it’s hard to call any current Piston a more valuable defender than Thompson. With all of the accolades he has gotten so far, the 23-year-old Thompson is already on a path to join the ranks of the best Pistons defenders of all time – and considering the amount of defensive talent this franchise has developed over the past 50 years, that’s no small feat.
Here is the list of the 10 best Pistons defenders of all time. And though Thompson cracks the list, it’ll probably be many years before he cracks the top-5, which contains some of the best defenders the league has ever seen.
Honorable mention: Isiah Thomas
Pistons legend Isiah Thomas shows up as the franchise career leader in a lot of marks. Part of that is because Thomas played the second-most games in Pistons history; but the franchise marks are not just offensive.
Thomas is No. 1 in steals in franchise history. He’s No. 3 in defensive win shares. And he’s No. 1 in franchise history in Value Over Replacement Player, not just because he was a transcendent offensive force, but because he was an effective defensive one, too. He deserves at least a mention on the list.
No. 10: Andre Drummond
Not once did Pistons center Andre Drummond ever make an NBA All-defensive team, and that’s an injustice for the analytically in-tune. Drummond led the league in defensive rating (99) in consecutive seasons from 2016-18. He also twice led the league in defensive win shares from 2017-19, but never once finished higher than eighth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
That’s likely because Drummond is better known as one of the most prolific rebounders in NBA history, a skill he has parlayed into a long career with six different teams. He got lost at times in space due to middling awareness, but don’t sleep on his production before the shot went up, using quick hands to create steals and deflect passes.
No. 9: Tayshaun Prince
A long defensive prototype who would have fit the modern game perfectly, Tayshaun Prince was named to four straight All-NBA Defensive second teams while with Detroit (2004-08), and that might be underselling his impact on the “Goin’ To Work” Pistons.
Because of his size and athleticism, Prince was often given the toughest defensive assignments, especially early in his career. His defensive play may be overshadowed by a couple other longtime teammates, but Prince’s fit on a championship roster was seamless and invaluable.
No. 8: Rasheed Wallace
Though a latecomer on the 2003-04 championship team, no one on the Pistons played harder on defense than Rasheed Wallace.
Far from the reputation he had gained while playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, Wallace was a natural fit on a championship team, averaging nearly two blocks per game and still coming nowhere close to the top mark on the team.
No. 7: Isaiah Stewart
The former first-round pick and longest-tenured Piston on the 2025-26 roster is no longer a starter and doesn’t play enough to rack up the big defensive stats. But Stewart makes his presence felt even when playing bench minutes, as only one NBA player averaged more blocks per game this season while playing fewer minutes than Stewart.
Stewart may never elevate to the heights of the greatest Pistons defender of all time, but he is among the most quintessential Detroit interior players and the heartbeat to a resurgent franchise.
Just look at Game 4 of the Pistons-Magic series. As most of the Pistons struggled to meet the Magic’s intensity level, Stewart was the exception. He racked up a ridiculous eight blocks in just 17 minutes as he swatted nearly every Magic player who entered the paint. It was a franchise playoff record for blocks in a game, and he needed less than half of a typical starter’s minutes.
No. 6: Ausar Thompson
It is admittedly early to declare Thompson an all-time Pistons defender, as the 23-year-old is playing in his third season and has been nominated for only one major award.
Still, Thompson is considered by many to be the best perimeter defender in a league that has tipped the scales towards increased scoring over the past decade. And if you want to get nerdy with it, the Pistons player with the best-ever defensive box plus/minus in a season is Thompson.
He’s proven in both of his postseason appearances that his defense translates to the games that matter most. In Game 5 of the Magic series, Thompson earned the loudest ovation of the game during a ridiculous stretch of hustle, steals and rebounds that often led to him on the floor, just one of many examples of his absurd defensive skill. Call it a projection, but Thompson should just get better on defense over his career.
[ Ausar Thompson a menace with shades of Dennis Rodman, Draymond Green ]
No. 5: Joe Dumars
The person who helped orchestrate one of the best defensive teams in league history was also on one of them. Before he was the general manager of the Pistons, Dumars was the member of the Bad Boys team that often drew some of the toughest assignments.
He’s third in franchise history with 902 steals, less than half as many as Thomas, but that doesn’t tell the full story. Dumars was a five-time all-defense team member and Michael Jordan called him one of the toughest defenders he ever faced.
What more needs to be said other than that?
No. 4: Bob Lanier
If you need to learn about one Pistons player from before the Bad Boys era, make it the Hall-of-Famer and former No. 1 overall pick Bob Lanier.
Lanier was a perennial All-Star and MVP candidate with Detroit, averaging 22.7 points (first in franchise history) and 11.8 rebounds per game (third in franchise history) in his 10 seasons with the Pistons. He was also a stalwart on the defensive end, averaging two blocks per game (second in franchise history) and 8.4 defensive rebounds per game (second in franchise history) as one of the greatest big men to ever put on a Pistons uniform.
No. 3: Bill Laimbeer
There’s an analytical argument for Bill Laimbeer being the greatest Detroit Piston of all time, and it’s not because of what he did on the offensive end.
Laimbeer is first in career rebounds, fifth in blocks and second in defensive win shares in franchise history. He’s also first in personal fouls and probably first in attracting haters, demonstrating the kind of defense that Laimbeer and the rest of the Bad Boys found so much success with.
While Laimbeer doesn’t have the defensive hardware of a more decorated teammate, he at least has the reputation as the scariest defender in franchise history. Quite simply, the Pistons would have two fewer titles in the trophy case without Laimbeer.
No. 2: Dennis Rodman
A back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year winner, Dennis Rodman was unquestionably the franchise’s best defensive player in the 20th century and one of its two greatest rebounders of all time. Rodman was a defensive savant early on his career, showing an ability to guard all positions and standing out as the most important cog in one of the greatest defensive teams of all time.
Rodman’s career stats fall short of some of his contemporaries like Laimbeer and Thomas, mostly because he spent only half his career in Detroit. But it was an unquestionably impactful seven seasons with the Pistons, as his defensive contributions helped him establish a Hall-of-Fame career and win the first two of his five NBA championships.
No. 1: Ben Wallace
This one isn’t particularly close.
Despite playing only nine of his 16 seasons in Detroit, Ben Wallace is first in Pistons history in career blocks (with over 400 more than second-place Terry Tyler) averaging an absurd 2.3 blocks per game. He has 49 defensive win shares, most in franchise history, and is tied for the NBA record with four Defensive Player of the Year Awards.
And, honestly, it should have been five had Metta World Peace, er, Ron Artest, not robbed him of the award in 2003-04. That would have made him the most decorated defensive player in NBA history, though that fifth trophy isn’t needed to cement his status as a legend.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 10 best defenders in Detroit Pistons history: Ausar Thompson crack the list?
Reporting by Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
