Detroit Pistons: Can Brandon Knight Become Team's Best PG Since Isiah Thomas?

After winning an NBA title in 2004 and six consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Detroit Pistons are sadly one of the worst teams in the league today.

However, one bright spot for pro basketball fans in Michigan is Brandon Knight, who the Pistons selected eighth overall in this past June's 2011 NBA draft.

The star point guard steered the University of Kentucky to the Final Four last season and will look to someday lead the now-rebuilding Pistons back to elite status.

The chances of Knight's game translating to the pros are pretty good, seeing that he played under head coach John Calipari during his one-and-done season at Kentucky. Calipari is well-known for coaching freshman point guards who went on to become big-name players in the pros.

He had future NBA Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans and 2011 MVP Derrick Rose during his tenure at the University of Memphis. Then, two seasons ago, there was John Wall, who would have won Rookie of the Year last season if Blake Griffin wasn't around.     

Knight has the skills to develop into an All-Star point guard for the Pistons and could very well emerge as the team's top point guard since Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas retired from the game in 1994.   

Thomas is easily the greatest Piston of all time and one of the five best point guards in NBA history. The 11-time All-Star led the Detroit "Bad Boys," which also included Joe Dumars and Dennis Rodman, to back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990. 

But if Knight is to become the best point guard since the days of Isiah, he's going to have to surpass another Pistons legend in current New York Knick Chauncey Billups. 

Billups was named an All-Star three times in Detroit and led the Pistons to the '04 title, as the team shocked the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. He was named Finals MVP that year, earning the nickname "Mr. Big Shot."  

Knight, who is yet to log a single minute in the NBA, will have to accomplish quite a bit in Detroit if he wants to surpass Billups.

However, he definitely has potential and brings a lot to the table. Knight can shoot the ball well from three-point land and mid-range, and possesses solid ball handling skills.

Pistons coach Lawrence Frank many choose to start Knight at the point off the bat, teaming him up with Rodney Stuckey in the backcourt, or he could bring him off the bench for a while.

Knight just might lead the Pistons in scoring as a rookie since players like Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and possibly Stuckey may head elsewhere whenever the season begins.

Knight could become an NBA star, and he could also turn out to be just another NBA bust. He might end up being the Pistons best point guard since Isiah Thomas was around.

Only time will tell.