NBA legend Isiah Thomas is the Pistons’ leader in steals.
The Pistons have made 42 playoff appearances in franchise history and have won three NBA championships. Along the way, the Pistons have been home to some of the league’s best defenders. Let’s highlight their top five all-time steals leaders.
1. Isiah Thomas, 1,861 Steals
The Pistons selected Thomas with the second pick of the 1981 Draft. He made the All-Star team in his first season, averaging 17.0 points, 7.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He spent his entire career with the Pistons, making 12 All-Star teams and eventually being elected to the Hall of Fame. To begin his career, Thomas averaged at least 2.1 steals in five straight seasons. He never averaged fewer than 1.2 steals per game for a season. Over 979 career games, he averaged 1.9 steals.
2. Ben Wallace, 931 Steals
Wallace played for Washington and Orlando before seeing his career take off with the Pistons. He made four All-Star teams and won four Defensive Player of the Year awards with the franchise. His first stint with the Pistons concluded following the 2005-06 season. After playing for both the Bulls and Cavaliers, Wallace then finished up his career by playing three more seasons for the Pistons. Across 655 career games with the Pistons, he averaged 1.4 steals.
3. Joe Dumars, 902 Steals
The Pistons selected Dumars with the 18th pick in the 1985 Draft. He spent his entire career with the Pistons, making six All-Star teams along the way. Not only did Dumars average at least 20.4 points per game for a season three times during his career, but he also finished inside the top five in voting for the Defensive Player of the Year Award three times. His career high for steals per game in a season was 1.1, which he accomplished four times during his career. Over 1,018 career games, he averaged 0.9 steals.
4. Lindsey Hunter, 896 Steals
The Pistons selected Hunter with the 10th pick in the 1993 Draft. He spent the first seven seasons of his career with the franchise, averaging at least 1.5 steals per game in five of them. After departing the Pistons, Hunter played one season each for the Bucks, Lakers and Raptors. He then returned to the Pistons for the 2003-04 season and played a total of five more seasons for the franchise. Over 703 total games as a member of the Pistons, Hunter averaged 1.3 steals.
5. Andre Drummond, 823 Steals
The Pistons selected Drummond with the ninth pick in the 2012 Draft. He finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting, averaging 7.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. Drummond was a rebounding machine at the beginning of his career, leading the league in rebounds per game in four of his first eight seasons in the league. He has also averaged at least 1.5 steals per game five times. Despite the 2024-25 season being his 13th in the league, Drummond will be just 32 years old in August 2025. Across 591 career games with the Pistons, Drummond averaged 1.4 steals.
