Last Updated on January 6, 2026 by Mat Diekhake
League Search Page > NBA > Detroit Pistons > Roster & Statistics
Here is the 1979–80 Detroit Pistons roster and regular season player statistics:
1979–80 Detroit Pistons Roster
| No. | Player | Pos | Height | Weight | DOB | Age | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kent Benson | C | 6’10” | 235 | 12/27/1954 | 25 | Indiana |
| 13 | Leon Douglas | C | 6’10” | 230 | 8/26/1954 | 25 | Alabama |
| 42 | Terry Duerod | SG | 6’2″ | 180 | 7/29/1956 | 23 | Detroit Mercy |
| 21 | Earl Evans | SF | 6’7″ | 210 | 8/27/1955 | 24 | UNLV |
| 22 | Roy Hamilton | PG | 6’2″ | 185 | 7/20/1957 | 22 | UCLA |
| 44 | Phil Hubbard | PF | 6’8″ | 215 | 12/13/1956 | 23 | Michigan |
| 35 | Greg Kelser | SF | 6’7″ | 210 | 9/17/1957 | 22 | Michigan State |
| 24 | Ron Lee | PG | 6’3″ | 185 | 11/2/1952 | 27 | Oregon |
| 25 | John Long | SG | 6’5″ | 200 | 8/28/1956 | 23 | Detroit Mercy |
| 50 | Steve Malovic | PF | 6’10” | 230 | 7/21/1956 | 23 | Utah |
| 11 | Bob McAdoo | PF | 6’9″ | 210 | 9/25/1951 | 28 | North Carolina |
| 10 | Jim McElroy | PG | 6’3″ | 190 | 10/4/1953 | 26 | Central Louisiana |
| 20 | Eric Money | PG | 6’0″ | 170 | 2/6/1955 | 24 | Arizona |
| 31 | Jackie Robinson | SF | 6’6″ | 210 | 6/20/1955 | 24 | UNLV |
| 33 | John Shumate | PF | 6’9″ | 235 | 4/26/1952 | 27 | Notre Dame |
| 41 | Terry Tyler | SF | 6’7″ | 215 | 10/30/1956 | 23 | Detroit Mercy |
1979–80 Regular Season Per Game
| PLR | POS | AGE | GP | GS | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Lanier | C | 31 | 37 | 37.6 | 37.6 | 21.7 | 10.1 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 3.1 | 15.8 | 8.6 | .546 | 0.1 | 0.0 | .000 | 5.7 | 4.4 | .781 |
| Bob McAdoo | PF | 28 | 58 | 36.2 | 36.2 | 21.1 | 8.1 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 4.1 | 17.7 | 8.5 | .480 | 0.4 | 0.1 | .125 | 5.6 | 4.1 | .730 |
| John Long | SG | 23 | 69 | 34.3 | 34.3 | 19.4 | 4.9 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 3.0 | 16.9 | 8.5 | .505 | 0.2 | 0.0 | .083 | 2.8 | 2.3 | .825 |
| Greg Kelser | SF | 22 | 50 | 24.7 | 24.7 | 14.2 | 5.5 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 11.9 | 5.6 | .472 | 0.3 | 0.1 | .200 | 4.1 | 2.9 | .719 |
| Terry Tyler | SF | 23 | 82 | 32.6 | 32.6 | 12.3 | 7.6 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 11.3 | 5.2 | .465 | 0.1 | 0.0 | .167 | 2.3 | 1.7 | .765 |
| Kent Benson | C | 25 | 17 | 29.5 | 29.5 | 12.1 | 7.1 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 11.0 | 5.1 | .460 | 0.2 | 0.1 | .250 | 2.6 | 1.9 | .750 |
| Jim McElroy | PG | 26 | 36 | 28.1 | 28.1 | 11.7 | 1.4 | 4.5 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 9.9 | 4.5 | .455 | 0.4 | 0.1 | .214 | 3.3 | 2.6 | .798 |
| Eric Money | SG | 24 | 55 | 26.7 | 26.7 | 10.9 | 1.8 | 4.3 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 2.6 | 9.3 | 4.7 | .508 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 1.9 | 1.5 | .779 |
| John Shumate | PF | 27 | 9 | 25.3 | 25.3 | 9.7 | 7.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 7.2 | 3.9 | .538 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 2.8 | 1.9 | .680 |
| Terry Duerod | SG | 23 | 67 | 19.9 | 19.9 | 9.3 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 8.9 | 4.2 | .472 | 0.8 | 0.2 | .283 | 1.0 | 0.7 | .682 |
| Phil Hubbard | PF | 23 | 64 | 18.6 | 18.6 | 9.1 | 5.0 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 7.0 | 3.3 | .466 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 3.4 | 2.6 | .750 |
| Leon Douglas | C | 25 | 70 | 25.5 | 25.5 | 8.1 | 7.2 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 6.5 | 3.2 | .486 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 2.6 | 1.8 | .676 |
| Ron Lee | PG | 27 | 31 | 25.9 | 25.9 | 7.3 | 2.9 | 5.6 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 6.9 | 2.7 | .393 | 1.8 | 0.7 | .393 | 1.7 | 1.1 | .660 |
| Roy Hamilton | PG | 22 | 72 | 15.5 | 15.5 | 4.6 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 4.0 | 1.6 | .401 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 2.1 | 1.4 | .687 |
| Earl Evans | PF | 24 | 36 | 10.6 | 10.6 | 4.4 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3.9 | 1.8 | .450 | 0.5 | 0.2 | .389 | 1.2 | 0.7 | .571 |
| Jackie Robinson | SF | 24 | 7 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 3.9 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 1.3 | .529 | 0.1 | 0.0 | .000 | 1.6 | 1.3 | .818 |
| Steve Malovic | PF | 23 | 10 | 16.2 | 16.2 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 0.8 | .320 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .714 |
| Team Totals | 82 | 241.2 | 241.2 | 108.9 | 44.4 | 23.8 | 9.5 | 6.9 | 21.2 | 92.6 | 44.4 | .480 | 2.7 | 0.7 | .260 | 26.2 | 19.4 | .740 |
1979–80 Regular Season Totals
| PLR | POS | AGE | GP | GS | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Long | SG | 23 | 69 | 69 | 2364 | 1337 | 337 | 206 | 129 | 26 | 206 | 1164 | 588 | .505 | 12 | 1 | .083 | 194 | 160 | .825 |
| Bob McAdoo | PF | 28 | 58 | 58 | 2097 | 1222 | 467 | 200 | 73 | 65 | 238 | 1025 | 492 | .480 | 24 | 3 | .125 | 322 | 235 | .730 |
| Terry Tyler | SF | 23 | 82 | 82 | 2670 | 1005 | 627 | 129 | 107 | 220 | 175 | 925 | 430 | .465 | 12 | 2 | .167 | 187 | 143 | .765 |
| Bob Lanier | C | 31 | 37 | 37 | 1392 | 802 | 373 | 122 | 38 | 60 | 113 | 584 | 319 | .546 | 5 | 0 | .000 | 210 | 164 | .781 |
| Greg Kelser | SF | 22 | 50 | 50 | 1233 | 709 | 276 | 108 | 60 | 34 | 140 | 593 | 280 | .472 | 15 | 3 | .200 | 203 | 146 | .719 |
| Terry Duerod | SG | 23 | 67 | 67 | 1331 | 624 | 98 | 117 | 41 | 11 | 79 | 598 | 282 | .472 | 53 | 15 | .283 | 66 | 45 | .682 |
| Eric Money | SG | 24 | 55 | 55 | 1467 | 599 | 97 | 238 | 53 | 10 | 143 | 510 | 259 | .508 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 104 | 81 | .779 |
| Phil Hubbard | PF | 23 | 64 | 64 | 1189 | 585 | 320 | 70 | 48 | 10 | 120 | 451 | 210 | .466 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 220 | 165 | .750 |
| Leon Douglas | C | 25 | 70 | 70 | 1782 | 567 | 501 | 121 | 30 | 62 | 127 | 455 | 221 | .486 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 185 | 125 | .676 |
| Jim McElroy | PG | 26 | 36 | 36 | 1012 | 422 | 50 | 162 | 25 | 14 | 88 | 356 | 162 | .455 | 14 | 3 | .214 | 119 | 95 | .798 |
| Roy Hamilton | PG | 22 | 72 | 72 | 1116 | 333 | 107 | 192 | 48 | 5 | 118 | 287 | 115 | .401 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 150 | 103 | .687 |
| Ron Lee | PG | 27 | 31 | 31 | 803 | 225 | 90 | 174 | 84 | 13 | 68 | 214 | 84 | .393 | 56 | 22 | .393 | 53 | 35 | .660 |
| Kent Benson | C | 25 | 17 | 17 | 502 | 206 | 120 | 51 | 19 | 18 | 51 | 187 | 86 | .460 | 4 | 1 | .250 | 44 | 33 | .750 |
| Earl Evans | PF | 24 | 36 | 36 | 381 | 157 | 75 | 37 | 14 | 1 | 36 | 140 | 63 | .450 | 18 | 7 | .389 | 42 | 24 | .571 |
| John Shumate | PF | 27 | 9 | 9 | 228 | 87 | 70 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 65 | 35 | .538 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 25 | 17 | .680 |
| Jackie Robinson | SF | 24 | 7 | 7 | 51 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 9 | .529 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 11 | 9 | .818 |
| Steve Malovic | PF | 23 | 10 | 10 | 162 | 26 | 28 | 14 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 25 | 8 | .320 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 14 | 10 | .714 |
| Team Totals | 82 | 19780 | 8933 | 3641 | 1950 | 783 | 562 | 1727 | 7596 | 3643 | .480 | 219 | 57 | .260 | 2149 | 1590 | .740 |
Team Impact Spotlight
| Player Name | Role Tier | MPG | Usage Tier | PPG | RPG | APG | STK | Impact Index* | Notes | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Lanier | Alpha – Primary Big Man / Offense Anchor | 37.6 | High | 21.7 | 10.1 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 18.85 | Even with a historically awful Pistons season (16‑66), Lanier remained a rock in the paint — scoring efficiently, crashing the boards, facilitating some offense and protecting the rim. His 10.1 RPG shows he was still Detroit’s rebounding backbone. | — |
| Bob McAdoo | Alpha – Secondary Scoring Power Forward | 36.2 | High | 21.1 | 8.1 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 17.55 | Coming off earlier stardom, McAdoo still delivered high scoring and solid rebounding/playmaking. On this weak roster, he was the second major offensive option behind Lanier. | — |
| John Long | Beta – Young Wing Scorer / Shot Creator | 34.3 | High‑Mid | 19.4 | 4.9 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 14.80 | As a second‑year player, Long emerged as a bright spot — leading the team in games played and becoming a go‑to wing scoring option. | — |
| Terry Tyler | Beta – Athletic Forward / Defensive & Rebounding Wing‑PF Hybrid | 32.6 | Mid | 12.3 | 7.6 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 12.05 | Tyler’s value showed beyond scoring. He grabbed 7.6 boards per game and contributed nearly 3 combined steals/blocks, giving Detroit some athleticism and defensive presence. | — |
| Greg Kelser | Beta – Rookie Forward with Scoring Upside | 24.7 | Mid‑High | 14.2 | 5.5 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 11.90 | As a first-round pick, Kelser showed promise: scoring punch and solid rebounding for a young forward. | — |
| Kent Benson | Gamma – Reserve Big with Spot Starter Minutes | 29.5 | Mid | 12.1 | 7.1 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 11.70 | In limited games, Benson provided decent front-court depth — contributing solid rebounding, scoring, and some playmaking. | — |
| Ron Lee | Gamma – Emergency Point Guard / Spot Minutes | 25.9 | Low | 7.3 | 2.9 | 5.6 | 3.1 | 9.45 | Though scoring was light, Lee provided playmaking and high steal numbers, offering defensive/ball-handling value off the bench. | — |
| Jim McElroy | Gamma – Backup Point Guard / Secondary Ball‑handler | 28.1 | Mid‑Low | 11.7 | 1.4 | 4.5 | 1.1 | 9.35 | As a backup facilitator, McElroy helped distribute the ball under tough conditions, providing stability in backcourt depth. | — |
| Eric Money | Gamma – Reserve Guard / Scoring Punch off Bench | 26.7 | Mid‑Low | 10.9 | 1.8 | 4.3 | 1.2 | 9.10 | Money offered bench scoring and playmaking — a spark-plug guard when starters rested. | — |
| John Shumate | Delta – Short‑term Front‑court Fill‑in | 25.3 | Low | 9.7 | 7.8 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 9.05 | In limited games, Shumate gave size, rebound presence, and scoring — a stop-gap front-court rotation option. | — |
| Leon Douglas | Gamma – Bench Big / Occasional Front‑court Contributor | 25.5 | Low | 8.1 | 7.2 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 8.10 | Contributed on boards and modest scoring — a depth role. | — |
| Terry Duerod | Delta – Bench Wing / Spot Shooter & Reserve Depth | 19.9 | Low | 9.3 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 6.25 | Provided shooting and depth off the bench; limited overall impact. | — |
| Phil Hubbard | Delta – Reserve Forward / Role‑minute Rebounder & Energy Sub | 18.6 | Low | 9.1 | 5.0 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 8.05 | Offered scoring and rebound support in limited minutes. | — |
| Steve Malovic | Delta – Fringe Roster / Minimal Role | 16.2 | Very Low | 2.6 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 3.75 | Minimal playing time; very limited impact. | — |
| Roy Hamilton | Delta – Young Backup Guard / Development Role | 15.5 | Very Low | 4.6 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 4.30 | Sparse minutes; developmental depth in guard rotation. | — |
| Earl Evans | Delta – Deep Bench / Marginal Minutes | 10.6 | Very Low | 4.4 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 3.95 | Minimal impact, emergency depth only. | — |
| Jackie Robinson | Delta – Deep Roster Spot / Cup‑of‑Coffee Minutes | 7.3 | Very Low | 3.9 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 2.35 | Very limited role; marginal impact in few minutes. | — |