The 1981–82 NBA season was the Detroit Pistons' 34th season in the NBA and 25th season in the city of Detroit.
[1] 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 guard Vinnie Johnson from Seattle (7.7 ppg), two key components of future championship Piston teams.