Last Updated on January 6, 2026 by Mat Diekhake
League Search Page > NBA > Detroit Pistons > Roster & Statistics
Here is the 1987–88 Detroit Pistons roster and regular season player statistics:
1987–88 Detroit Pistons Roster
| No. | Player | Pos | Height | Weight | Age | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Bedford | C | 7’0″ | 225 lbs | 24 | Memphis |
| 4 | Joe Dumars | SG | 6’3″ | 190 lbs | 24 | McNeese State |
| 11 | Isiah Thomas | PG | 6’1″ | 180 lbs | 26 | Indiana |
| 15 | Vinnie Johnson | SG | 6’2″ | 200 lbs | 31 | Baylor |
| 22 | John Salley | PF | 6’11” | 230 lbs | 23 | Georgia Tech |
| 25 | Ralph Lewis | SG | 6’6″ | 200 lbs | 24 | La Salle |
| 30 | Ron Moore | PG | 6’3″ | 190 lbs | 26 | West Virginia State |
| 40 | Bill Laimbeer | C | 6’11” | 245 lbs | 30 | Notre Dame |
| 41 | Chuck Nevitt | C | 7’5″ | 217 lbs | 28 | NC State |
| 42 | Dennis Rodman | SF | 6’7″ | 210 lbs | 26 | Southeastern Oklahoma State |
| 44 | Rick Mahorn | PF | 6’10” | 240 lbs | 29 | Hampton |
| 45 | Adrian Dantley | SF | 6’5″ | 208 lbs | 32 | Notre Dame |
| 50 | Darryl Dawkins | C | 6’11” | 251 lbs | 31 | None |
| 53 | James Edwards | C | 7’0″ | 225 lbs | 32 | Washington |
| 55 | Walker Russell | PG | 6’5″ | 190 lbs | 27 | Western Michigan |
1987–88 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% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian Dantley | SF | 32 | 69 | 50 | 31.1 | 20.0 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 12.5 | 6.4 | .514 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 8.3 | 7.1 | .860 |
| Isiah Thomas | PG | 26 | 81 | 81 | 36.1 | 19.5 | 3.4 | 8.4 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 3.4 | 16.6 | 7.7 | .463 | 1.2 | 0.4 | .309 | 4.9 | 3.8 | .774 |
| Joe Dumars | SG | 24 | 82 | 82 | 33.3 | 14.2 | 2.4 | 4.7 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 11.7 | 5.5 | .472 | 0.2 | 0.0 | .211 | 3.8 | 3.1 | .815 |
| Bill Laimbeer | C | 30 | 82 | 82 | 35.3 | 13.5 | 10.1 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 11.3 | 5.5 | .493 | 0.5 | 0.2 | .333 | 2.6 | 2.3 | .874 |
| Vinnie Johnson | SG | 31 | 82 | 1 | 23.6 | 12.2 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 11.7 | 5.2 | .443 | 0.3 | 0.1 | .208 | 2.6 | 1.8 | .677 |
| Dennis Rodman | SF | 26 | 82 | 32 | 26.2 | 11.6 | 8.7 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 8.6 | 4.9 | .561 | 0.2 | 0.1 | .294 | 3.5 | 1.9 | .535 |
| Rick Mahorn | PF | 29 | 67 | 64 | 29.3 | 10.7 | 8.4 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 7.2 | 4.1 | .574 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .500 | 3.2 | 2.4 | .756 |
| John Salley | C | 23 | 82 | 16 | 24.4 | 8.5 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 5.6 | 3.1 | .566 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 3.2 | 2.3 | .709 |
| James Edwards | C | 32 | 26 | 2 | 12.6 | 5.4 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 3.9 | 1.8 | .475 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 2.3 | 1.7 | .738 |
| William Bedford | C | 24 | 38 | 0 | 7.8 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 2.7 | 1.2 | .436 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 0.6 | 0.3 | .565 |
| Ralph Lewis | SG | 24 | 50 | 0 | 6.2 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 0.5 | .310 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 1.0 | 0.6 | .604 |
| Chuck Nevitt | C | 28 | 17 | 0 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 0.4 | .333 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 0.4 | 0.2 | .500 |
| Darryl Dawkins | C | 31 | 2 | 0 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | .500 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 1.5 | 1.0 | .667 |
| Ron Moore | C | 26 | 9 | 0 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 0.4 | .308 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 0.4 | 0.2 | .500 |
| Walker Russell | PG | 27 | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 1.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 |
| Team Totals | 82 | 82 | 241.2 | 109.2 | 44.7 | 24.5 | 7.2 | 4.8 | 16.4 | 83.1 | 41.5 | .493 | 2.5 | 0.7 | .287 | 31.9 | 24.1 | .757 |
1987–88 Playoff Per Game
| PLR | POS | AGE | GP | GS | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isiah Thomas | PG | 26 | 23 | 23 | 39.6 | 21.9 | 4.7 | 8.7 | 2.9 | 0.3 | 3.7 | 18.2 | 8.0 | .437 | 1.9 | 0.6 | .295 | 6.6 | 5.4 | .828 |
| Adrian Dantley | SF | 32 | 23 | 23 | 35.0 | 19.4 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 2.2 | 12.7 | 6.7 | .524 | 0.1 | 0.0 | .000 | 7.7 | 6.1 | .787 |
| Joe Dumars | SG | 24 | 23 | 23 | 35.0 | 12.3 | 2.2 | 4.9 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 10.7 | 4.9 | .457 | 0.3 | 0.1 | .333 | 2.7 | 2.4 | .889 |
| Bill Laimbeer | C | 30 | 23 | 23 | 33.9 | 11.9 | 9.6 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 10.9 | 5.0 | .456 | 0.7 | 0.2 | .294 | 2.0 | 1.7 | .889 |
| John Salley | C | 23 | 23 | 0 | 27.1 | 7.0 | 6.7 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 4.5 | 2.4 | .538 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 3.0 | 2.1 | .710 |
| Vinnie Johnson | SG | 31 | 23 | 0 | 20.7 | 10.3 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 10.4 | 4.4 | .423 | 0.3 | 0.0 | .143 | 2.2 | 1.4 | .660 |
| Dennis Rodman | SF | 26 | 23 | 0 | 20.6 | 7.1 | 5.9 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 5.9 | 3.1 | .522 | 0.1 | 0.0 | .000 | 2.3 | 1.0 | .407 |
| Rick Mahorn | PF | 29 | 23 | 21 | 17.8 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 3.9 | 1.3 | .344 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 0.8 | 0.6 | .684 |
| James Edwards | C | 32 | 22 | 2 | 14.0 | 6.3 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 5.0 | 2.5 | .509 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 1.9 | 1.2 | .659 |
| Ralph Lewis | SG | 24 | 10 | 0 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 | .333 | 0.1 | 0.0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 |
| Walker Russell | PG | 27 | 7 | 0 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | .400 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.000 |
| Chuck Nevitt | C | 28 | 3 | 0 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | .500 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.000 |
| Team Totals | 23 | 23 | 244.3 | 99.7 | 44.3 | 22.3 | 7.4 | 4.6 | 13.8 | 79.1 | 37.5 | .465 | 3.5 | 0.9 | .259 | 29.2 | 22.0 | .754 |
1987–88 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 | 26 | 81 | 81 | 2927 | 1577 | 278 | 678 | 141 | 17 | 273 | 1341 | 621 | .463 | 97 | 30 | .309 | 394 | 305 | .774 |
| Adrian Dantley | SF | 32 | 69 | 50 | 2144 | 1380 | 227 | 171 | 39 | 10 | 135 | 863 | 444 | .514 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 572 | 492 | .860 |
| Joe Dumars | SG | 24 | 82 | 82 | 2732 | 1161 | 200 | 387 | 87 | 15 | 172 | 960 | 453 | .472 | 19 | 4 | .211 | 308 | 251 | .815 |
| Bill Laimbeer | C | 30 | 82 | 82 | 2897 | 1110 | 832 | 199 | 66 | 78 | 136 | 923 | 455 | .493 | 39 | 13 | .333 | 214 | 187 | .874 |
| Vinnie Johnson | SG | 31 | 82 | 1 | 1935 | 1002 | 231 | 267 | 58 | 18 | 152 | 959 | 425 | .443 | 24 | 5 | .208 | 217 | 147 | .677 |
| Rick Mahorn | PF | 29 | 67 | 64 | 1963 | 717 | 565 | 60 | 43 | 42 | 119 | 481 | 276 | .574 | 2 | 1 | .500 | 217 | 164 | .756 |
| Dennis Rodman | SF | 26 | 82 | 32 | 2147 | 953 | 715 | 110 | 75 | 45 | 156 | 709 | 398 | .561 | 17 | 5 | .294 | 284 | 152 | .535 |
| John Salley | C | 23 | 82 | 16 | 2003 | 701 | 402 | 113 | 53 | 137 | 120 | 456 | 258 | .566 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 261 | 185 | .709 |
| James Edwards | C | 32 | 26 | 2 | 328 | 141 | 77 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 22 | 101 | 48 | .475 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 61 | 45 | .738 |
| William Bedford | C | 24 | 38 | 0 | 298 | 101 | 65 | 4 | 8 | 17 | 19 | 101 | 44 | .436 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 23 | 13 | .565 |
| Ralph Lewis | SG | 24 | 50 | 0 | 310 | 83 | 51 | 14 | 13 | 4 | 19 | 87 | 27 | .310 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 48 | 29 | .604 |
| Chuck Nevitt | C | 28 | 17 | 0 | 63 | 17 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 21 | 7 | .333 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 6 | 3 | .500 |
| Ron Moore | C | 26 | 9 | 0 | 25 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 4 | .308 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 4 | 2 | .500 |
| Darryl Dawkins | C | 31 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | .500 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 3 | 2 | .667 |
| Walker Russell | PG | 27 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Team Totals | 82 | 82 | 19780 | 8957 | 3663 | 2011 | 588 | 394 | 1331 | 7018 | 3461 | .493 | 202 | 58 | .287 | 2612 | 1977 | .757 |
1987–88 Playoff 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 | 26 | 23 | 23 | 911 | 504 | 107 | 201 | 66 | 8 | 85 | 419 | 183 | .437 | 44 | 13 | .295 | 151 | 125 | .828 |
| Adrian Dantley | SF | 32 | 23 | 23 | 804 | 446 | 107 | 46 | 19 | 1 | 51 | 292 | 153 | .524 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 178 | 140 | .787 |
| Joe Dumars | SG | 24 | 23 | 23 | 804 | 284 | 50 | 112 | 13 | 2 | 40 | 247 | 113 | .457 | 6 | 2 | .333 | 63 | 56 | .889 |
| Bill Laimbeer | C | 30 | 23 | 23 | 779 | 273 | 221 | 44 | 18 | 19 | 30 | 250 | 114 | .456 | 17 | 5 | .294 | 45 | 40 | .889 |
| Vinnie Johnson | SG | 31 | 23 | 0 | 477 | 236 | 75 | 43 | 17 | 4 | 21 | 239 | 101 | .423 | 7 | 1 | .143 | 50 | 33 | .660 |
| Dennis Rodman | SF | 26 | 23 | 0 | 474 | 164 | 136 | 21 | 14 | 14 | 31 | 136 | 71 | .522 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 54 | 22 | .407 |
| John Salley | C | 23 | 23 | 0 | 623 | 161 | 155 | 21 | 15 | 37 | 23 | 104 | 56 | .538 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 69 | 49 | .710 |
| James Edwards | C | 32 | 22 | 2 | 308 | 139 | 68 | 11 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 110 | 56 | .509 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 41 | 27 | .659 |
| Rick Mahorn | PF | 29 | 23 | 21 | 409 | 75 | 89 | 13 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 90 | 31 | .344 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 19 | 13 | .684 |
| Walker Russell | PG | 27 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | .400 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 2 | 2 | 1.000 |
| Ralph Lewis | SG | 24 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | .333 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Chuck Nevitt | C | 28 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .500 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Team Totals | 23 | 23 | 5620 | 2294 | 1019 | 514 | 170 | 105 | 309 | 1900 | 883 | .465 | 81 | 21 | .259 | 672 | 507 | .754 |
Team Impact Spotlight
| PLAYER NAME | ROLE TIER | MPG | USAGE TIER | PPG | RPG | APG | STK (SPG+BPG) | IMPACT INDEX* | NOTES | AWARDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isiah Thomas | Core Leader / Floor-General | 36.1 | High | 19.5 | 3.4 | 8.4 | 1.7 | 16.50 | Team primary ball-handler and on-court leader who led Detroit in assists and was the engine of the Pistons’ two-way offense, directing the “Bad Boys” identity all season. | MVP-12, AS |
| Bill Laimbeer | Interior Anchor / Stretch Big | 35.3 | Medium | 13.5 | 10.1 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 13.90 | Rugged paint presence who anchored rebounding and interior toughness while stretching the floor occasionally; a cornerstone of Detroit’s physical frontcourt. | |
| Adrian Dantley | Primary Scoring Option (early-season) | 31.1 | High | 20.0 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 13.20 | High-efficiency low-post scorer who began the season as the go-to option; tensions over role led to a midseason trade that shifted Detroit toward a more defensive lineup. | MVP-14 |
| Dennis Rodman | Energy Rebounder & Defensive Glue | 26.2 | Medium | 11.6 | 8.7 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 11.50 | Hustle rebounder and versatile defender whose relentless boards and effort plays changed momentum; his role as defensive glue grew as the season progressed. | DPOY-8 |
| Joe Dumars | Two-Way Secondary Guard | 33.3 | Medium–High | 14.2 | 2.4 | 4.7 | 1.3 | 11.30 | Reliable scoring and perimeter defense; provided stable secondary playmaking behind Thomas and delivered consistent two-way minutes for the Pistons’ backcourt. | |
| Rick Mahorn | Enforcer / Tough Interior Role | 29.3 | Low–Medium | 10.7 | 8.4 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 10.60 | Physical, bruising forward who protected the paint, set hard screens and provided the team’s enforcer presence—key to Detroit’s intimidating frontcourt. | |
| Vinnie Johnson | Sixth-Man Scorer / Offensive Spark | 23.6 | Medium | 12.2 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 9.60 | “The Microwave” off the bench — instant scoring and clutch shot creation in short bursts, reliably changing game tempo when starters rested. | |
| John Salley | Defensive Reserve / Rim-Protector Off Bench | 24.4 | Low–Medium | 8.5 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 8.55 | Athletic reserve big who provided rim protection, mobility and energy in relief minutes; a defensive-minded piece of the frontcourt rotation. | |
| James Edwards | Backup Center / Scoring Reserve | 12.6 | Low | 5.4 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 4.45 | Veteran backup center who provided short-burst scoring and size in limited minutes off the bench. | |
| William Bedford | Depth Center / Spot Minutes | 7.8 | Low | 2.7 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 2.55 | Reserve center with limited minutes, used for brief interior size and rim subs. | |
| Ralph Lewis | Bench Guard / Situational Minutes | 6.2 | Low | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 1.70 | Deep-rotation guard used sparingly for situational backcourt depth and spot minutes. | |
| Darryl Dawkins | Reserve Big / Short Stint | 3.5 | Low | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.50 | Very limited appearance season; veteran big used in short spurts late in games or when extra size was required. | |
| Chuck Nevitt | Emergency Center / Minute Filler | 3.7 | Low | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.25 | Ultra-reserve center providing occasional rim-height and garbage-time minutes. | |
| Ron Moore | Spot Center / End-of-bench Depth | 2.8 | Low | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.80 | Extremely limited minutes; on-roster depth at center used only in emergencies. | |
| Walker Russell | Brief Appearance / Cup-of-Coffee | 1.0 | Low | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.50 | Single short appearance; negligible statistical impact but listed on roster for the season. |