Last Updated on January 6, 2026 by Mat Diekhake
League Search Page > NBA > Detroit Pistons > Roster & Statistics
Here is the 1982–83 Detroit Pistons roster and regular season player statistics:
1982–83 Detroit Pistons Roster
| No. | Player | Pos | Height | Weight | Age | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | Kent Benson | C | 6-10 | 265 lbs | 28 | Indiana |
| 1 | Terry Tyler | F | 6-7 | 215 lbs | 27 | Detroit Mercy |
| 3 | Mike McGee | G/F | 6-5 | 190 lbs | 23 | Michigan |
| 4 | Ray Tolbert | F | 6-9 | 225 lbs | 24 | Indiana |
| 5 | Walker Russell | G | 6-5 | 190 lbs | 22 | Western Michigan |
| 7 | Paul Mokeski | C | 7-0 | 250 lbs | 26 | Kansas |
| 10 | John Long | G | 6-5 | 195 lbs | 26 | Detroit Mercy |
| 11 | Isiah Thomas | G | 6-1 | 180 lbs | 21 | Indiana |
| 15 | Cliff Levingston | F | 6-8 | 210 lbs | 21 | Wichita State |
| 20 | Vinny Johnson | G | 6-2 | 200 lbs | 26 | Baylor |
| 21 | Bill Laimbeer | C | 6-11 | 245 lbs | 25 | Notre Dame |
| 22 | Bob McAdoo | F/C | 6-9 | 210 lbs | 31 | North Carolina |
| 23 | Earl Cureton | F/C | 6-9 | 210 lbs | 25 | Detroit Mercy |
| 32 | Phil Hubbard | F/C | 6-8 | 215 lbs | 25 | Michigan |
1982–83 Detroit Pistons 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% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly Tripucka | SF | 23 | 58 | 58 | 38.8 | 26.5 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 3.2 | 19.9 | 9.7 | .489 | 0.6 | 0.2 | .378 | 8.0 | 6.8 | .845 |
| Isiah Thomas | PG | 21 | 81 | 81 | 38.2 | 22.9 | 4.0 | 7.8 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 4.0 | 19.0 | 9.0 | .472 | 1.5 | 0.4 | .288 | 6.4 | 4.5 | .710 |
| Vinnie Johnson | SG | 26 | 82 | 51 | 30.6 | 15.8 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 12.4 | 6.3 | .513 | 0.5 | 0.1 | .275 | 3.8 | 3.0 | .778 |
| Bill Laimbeer | C | 25 | 82 | 82 | 35.0 | 13.6 | 12.1 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 10.7 | 5.3 | .497 | 0.2 | 0.0 | .154 | 3.8 | 3.0 | .790 |
| Terry Tyler | SF | 26 | 82 | 56 | 31.0 | 12.1 | 6.6 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 10.7 | 5.1 | .478 | 0.2 | 0.0 | .133 | 2.4 | 1.8 | .745 |
| John Long | SG | 26 | 70 | 30 | 21.2 | 10.5 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 9.9 | 4.5 | .451 | 0.1 | 0.0 | .286 | 2.1 | 1.6 | .760 |
| Edgar Jones | PF | 26 | 49 | 25 | 21.1 | 8.3 | 5.5 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 6.0 | 3.0 | .493 | 0.1 | 0.0 | .333 | 3.5 | 2.4 | .680 |
| Kent Benson | C | 28 | 21 | 15 | 28.5 | 9.9 | 7.4 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 8.7 | 4.0 | .467 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 2.4 | 1.8 | .760 |
| Scott May | SF | 28 | 9 | 1 | 17.2 | 6.6 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 5.6 | 2.3 | .420 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 2.3 | 1.9 | .810 |
| Tom Owens | C | 33 | 49 | 4 | 14.8 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 3.9 | 1.7 | .422 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 1.3 | 0.9 | .682 |
| James Wilkes | SF | 24 | 9 | 0 | 14.3 | 3.8 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 3.8 | 1.2 | .324 | 0.1 | 0.0 | .000 | 1.7 | 1.3 | .800 |
| Cliff Levingston | PF | 22 | 62 | 5 | 14.2 | 5.6 | 3.7 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 4.4 | 2.1 | .485 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 2.4 | 1.4 | .571 |
| Ray Tolbert | PF | 24 | 28 | 0 | 14.1 | 5.1 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 4.4 | 2.0 | .460 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .475 |
| Walker Russell | PG | 22 | 68 | 1 | 11.1 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 1.0 | .364 | 0.3 | 0.0 | .111 | 0.9 | 0.7 | .810 |
| Jim Johnstone | PF | 22 | 16 | 0 | 8.6 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.6 | .450 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 0.9 | 0.4 | .400 |
| Ricky Pierce | SG | 23 | 39 | 1 | 6.8 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 0.8 | .375 | 0.2 | 0.0 | .143 | 0.8 | 0.5 | .563 |
| Jim Smith | PF | 24 | 4 | 0 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.8 | .750 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 1.0 | 0.5 | .500 |
| Jim Zoet | C | 29 | 7 | 0 | 4.3 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.1 | .200 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 |
| TEAM TOTALS | 82 | 82 | 242.4 | 112.7 | 46.2 | 25.7 | 8.3 | 7.0 | 19.0 | 89.4 | 44.2 | .477 | 3.3 | 0.9 | .265 | 31.6 | 23.4 | .742 |
1982–83 Detroit Pistons Regular Season Totals
| PLR | POS | AGE | GP | GS | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isiah Thomas | PG | 21 | 81 | 81 | 3093 | 1854 | 328 | 634 | 199 | 29 | 326 | 1537 | 725 | .472 | 125 | 36 | .288 | 518 | 368 | .710 |
| Kelly Tripucka | SF | 23 | 58 | 58 | 2252 | 1536 | 264 | 237 | 67 | 20 | 187 | 1156 | 565 | .489 | 37 | 14 | .378 | 464 | 392 | .845 |
| Vinnie Johnson | SG | 26 | 82 | 51 | 2511 | 1296 | 353 | 301 | 93 | 49 | 152 | 1013 | 520 | .513 | 40 | 11 | .275 | 315 | 245 | .778 |
| Bill Laimbeer | C | 25 | 82 | 82 | 2871 | 1119 | 993 | 263 | 51 | 118 | 176 | 877 | 436 | .497 | 13 | 2 | .154 | 310 | 245 | .790 |
| Terry Tyler | SF | 26 | 82 | 56 | 2543 | 990 | 540 | 157 | 103 | 160 | 120 | 880 | 421 | .478 | 15 | 2 | .133 | 196 | 146 | .745 |
| John Long | SG | 26 | 70 | 30 | 1485 | 737 | 180 | 105 | 44 | 12 | 144 | 692 | 312 | .451 | 7 | 2 | .286 | 146 | 111 | .760 |
| Edgar Jones | PF | 26 | 49 | 25 | 1036 | 409 | 271 | 69 | 28 | 77 | 103 | 294 | 145 | .493 | 6 | 2 | .333 | 172 | 117 | .680 |
| Kent Benson | C | 28 | 21 | 15 | 599 | 208 | 155 | 49 | 14 | 17 | 35 | 182 | 85 | .467 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 50 | 38 | .760 |
| Tom Owens | C | 33 | 49 | 4 | 725 | 207 | 186 | 44 | 12 | 14 | 48 | 192 | 81 | .422 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 66 | 45 | .682 |
| Ray Tolbert | PF | 24 | 28 | 0 | 395 | 142 | 91 | 19 | 10 | 23 | 32 | 124 | 57 | .460 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 59 | 28 | .475 |
| Ricky Pierce | SG | 23 | 39 | 1 | 265 | 85 | 35 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 18 | 88 | 33 | .375 | 7 | 1 | .143 | 20 | 15 | .563 |
| Scott May | SF | 28 | 9 | 1 | 155 | 59 | 26 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 50 | 21 | .420 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 21 | 17 | .810 |
| Cliff Levingston | PF | 22 | 62 | 5 | 879 | 346 | 232 | 52 | 23 | 36 | 73 | 270 | 131 | .485 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 147 | 84 | .571 |
| Walker Russell | PG | 22 | 68 | 1 | 757 | 183 | 73 | 131 | 16 | 1 | 92 | 184 | 67 | .364 | 18 | 2 | .111 | 58 | 47 | .810 |
| Jim Johnstone | PF | 22 | 16 | 0 | 137 | 24 | 30 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 20 | 9 | .450 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 15 | 6 | .400 |
| James Wilkes | SF | 24 | 9 | 0 | 129 | 34 | 19 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 34 | 11 | .324 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 15 | 12 | .800 |
| Jim Zoet | C | 29 | 7 | 0 | 30 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 | .200 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 5 | 3 | .000 |
| Jim Smith | PF | 24 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | .750 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 5 | 2 | .500 |
| TEAM TOTALS | 82 | 82 | 19880 | 9239 | 3789 | 2108 | 679 | 572 | 1539 | 7602 | 3623 | .477 | 272 | 72 | .265 | 2588 | 1921 | .742 |
Team Impact Spotlight
| Player Name | Role Tier | MPG | Usage Tier | PPG | RPG | APG | STK (SPG+BPG) | Impact Index* | Notes | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isiah Thomas | Core Leader / Primary Playmaker | 38.2 | High | 22.9 | 4.0 | 7.8 | 2.9 | 18.80 | Team engine: led Detroit in scoring and assists while controlling tempo and running the offense as the floor-general for the season. | MVP-16, AS, All-NBA 2 |
| Kelly Tripucka | Lead Wing Scorer / Volume Scorer | 38.8 | High | 26.5 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 1.5 | 18.35 | Primary outside/wing scoring threat who produced high volume scoring and spacing for the offense, functioning as Thomas’ top scoring partner. | — |
| Bill Laimbeer | Interior Anchor / Rebounding Core | 35.0 | Medium | 13.6 | 12.1 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 15.55 | Physical paint anchor: elite rebounder, interior presence and rim protection who supplied toughness and second-chance offense. | AS |
| Vinnie Johnson | Sixth-Man Scorer / Instant Offense | 30.6 | Medium | 15.8 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 1.7 | 12.75 | “Microwave” role — instant scoring and bench spark who stabilized offense in relief minutes and provided late-game punch. | — |
| Terry Tyler | Two-Way Starting Forward | 31.0 | Medium | 12.1 | 6.6 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 11.35 | Defensive/versatile forward delivering rebounds, midrange scoring and on-ball defense; contributed two-way minutes as a starter. | — |
| Kent Benson | Backup Center / Size & Passing Big | 28.5 | Medium | 9.9 | 7.4 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 10.55 | Backup center who provided interior size, passing from the high post and solid rebounding in heavier minutes when called upon. | — |
| Edgar Jones | Rotation PF / Energy Big | 21.1 | Low–Medium | 8.3 | 5.5 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 8.70 | Rotation big who supplied rebounding, interior defense and occasional interior scoring in the frontcourt rotation. | — |
| John Long | Shooting/Secondary Guard | 21.2 | Low–Medium | 10.5 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 7.70 | Veteran wing/guard providing perimeter scoring and spacing; steady secondary scoring option in rotation. | — |
| Cliff Levingston | Bench Hustle Forward | 14.2 | Low | 5.6 | 3.7 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 5.75 | Young energetic forward used for hustle, defensive energy and spot minutes off the bench. | — |
| Scott May | Spot Rotation Wing | 17.2 | Low | 6.6 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 5.80 | Short sample season role — veteran wing giving spot starts/relief minutes with modest scoring and fronts-court help. | — |
| Ray Tolbert | Spot PF / Depth Big | 14.1 | Low | 5.1 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 5.05 | Occasional frontcourt minutes providing interior defense and size as a bench big. | — |
| Tom Owens | Reserve Center | 14.8 | Low | 4.2 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 4.70 | Reserve center used for spot minutes; provided interior toughness and rebound support in limited action. | — |
| James Wilkes | Deep Wing Reserve | 14.3 | Low | 3.8 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 3.70 | Fringe rotation wing offering occasional defense and small-ball minutes off the bench. | — |
| Walker Russell | Backup PG / Depth Guard | 11.1 | Low | 2.7 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 2.95 | Backup point guard providing depth and occasional playmaking in short stints. | — |
| Jim Johnstone | End-of-Bench PF | 8.6 | Low | 1.5 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 2.25 | Very limited minutes; used for frontcourt depth in garbage time or injury fill-ins. | — |
| Ricky Pierce | Deep Bench Guard | 6.8 | Low | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.90 | Reserve guard with brief appearances; early-career depth piece before later breakout elsewhere. | — |
| Jim Smith | Fringe Frontcourt Depth | 4.5 | Low | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.65 | Very small sample; negligible impact — on roster as emergency depth. | — |
| Jim Zoet | Emergency Center / Garbage Minutes | 4.3 | Low | 0.3 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1.00 | Rarely used big — provided occasional rim-height in blowouts and end-of-game situations. | — |