New Detroit Lions acquisition channels Pistons’ championship spirit in stellar debut

New Detroit Lions acquisition Za’Darius Smith channeled former Detroit Pistons star Rasheed Wallace in his stellar debut as he brought the same championship spirit the city felt 20 years ago.

Although Sunday’s (Nov. 17) matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars played out like all NFL fans knew it would, Smith, on a limited snap count, left an impression in the city reminiscent of Wallace’s back in 2004, whose jersey he donned ahead of the matchup.

In the early 2000s, the Pistons were an up-and-coming squad as team President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars assembled signed free agent guard Chauncey Billups, traded for Richard Hamilton and Ben Wallace, and drafted Tayshaun Prince.

Dumars also hired Larry Brown, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member, as head coach. Although forward Mehmet Okur, whom they drafted in the second round of the 2001 NBA draft, was their key piece during the midway point of the 2004 season, they were missing a key piece and traded for “Sheed” to bolster their chances of winning an NBA championship.

After the mid-season acquisition, the Pistons finished the regular season, winning 20 of their final 26 games.

They went on to win the NBA Finals against Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Detroit fans are reminded of those times as the Lions acquired Smith mid-season after losing former Michigan Wolverines legend Aidan Hutchinson to a broken leg.

This deal added the pass rusher to fill some of the void left by the injured Hutchinson, who was leading the NFL with 7.5 sacks at the time of his injury.

Smith, ahead of his team debut, had 5.5 sacks this season and 65 for his career.

The 32-year-old accumulated his first sack in Honolulu Blue, bringing his total to 6.5 this season and 66 for his career.

“Heyyy, guess who it is, big Z. We got the dub, I’m excited, and I’m happy to be here. I got my first sack,” said Smith after the game.

Smith and the Lions improved to 9-1 on the season after winning their eighth game in a row when they boat-raced the Jacksonville Jaguars 52-6 inside Ford Field.

Smith almost left the game with an injury during his debut when he was chipped blocked in his side during a pass rush, but he later returned to the line.

The Lions defense did suffer a setback. Linebacker Alex Anzalone will be sidelined for the next 6-8 weeks with an injured forearm.

But, barring an injury, with the way Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Sam LaPorta, do you think Smith could bring that same energy Wallace did 20 years ago to the Motor City?