The 1981-82 NBA season was the Detroit Pistons' 34th season in the NBA and 25th season in the city of Detroit. The team played in the Detroit suburbs at the Pontiac Silverdome. The Pistons had the second pick in the 1981 NBA Draft and chose Isiah Thomas from Indiana, adding a future Hall of Fame player for the centerpiece of the rebuilding franchise. The team finished greatly improved, 39-43 (.476), 3rd in the Central Division, an 18-game improvement from the previous season. The team was led by a pair of rookies, guard Thomas (17.0 ppg, 7.8 apg, NBA All-Star, NBA All Rookie Team) and forward Kelly Tripucka (21.6 ppg, NBA All-Star, NBA All Rookie Team), along with guard John Long (21.9 ppg) The team also picked up center Bill Laimbeer (12.8 ppg, 11.3 rpg) in a trade with Cleveland and guar