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Detroit Pistons: 2018 PistonPowered Player Awards

By Ash Vanclay

SANTA MONICA, CA - JUNE 25: Actor Anthony Anderson hosts the 2018 NBA Awards Show on June 25, 2018 at The Barkar Hangar in Santa Monica, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
SANTA MONICA, CA - JUNE 25: Actor Anthony Anderson hosts the 2018 NBA Awards Show on June 25, 2018 at The Barkar Hangar in Santa Monica, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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With the Detroit Pistons not being particularly active during the off-season, fans looked to the NBA draft and the 2018 NBA Awards for their excitement. Now, Ash Vanclay announces the first set of the 2018 PistonPowered Player Awards.

The Detroit Pistons didn’t take home any hardware during this year’s NBA Awards.

However, it’s now time to hand out the 2018 PistonPowered Player Awards.

This prestigious awards night will recognize the best Pistons players across a variety of categories. The awards featured in this piece are Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Most Improved Player (MIP).

MVP: Andre Drummond

Dunk GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY
Dunk GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY /

The Pistons’ MVP is without a doubt Andre Drummond. In 78 games this season, Drummond averaged 15.0 points, 16.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.6 blocks in 33.7 minutes per game. He shot 52.9 percent from the field, and a whopping 60.5 percent from the free-throw line (a 21.9 percent increase).

Drummond led the league in offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds and total rebounds. He moved into fifth place on the Pistons’ all-time rebounding list (the four players ahead of him all have their jerseys hanging in the rafters).

The 24-year-old was also sixth in the league in blocks, 31st in steals, and led the league in defensive win shares.

Drummond’s effort and energy was more consistent this season (a fair criticism previously), and he became a much improved player defensively – earning himself a vote for NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

If you would like to read more about Andre Drummond’s season, you can do so here.

Honorable Mention: Blake Griffin

The new addition to the Pistons deserves an honorable mention after averaging 19.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in his 25 games, while becoming a vital piece to the franchise.

MIP: Andre Drummond

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Detroit Assist GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY /

The MIP for the Pistons is Andre Drummond. Being able to increase your free-throw percentage by 21.9 percent is a massive uptick, but it also changes the way Drummond is used.

It allowed him to play in late game situations, and I can only remember him being deliberately fouled on two occasions due to desperation.

It meant that this team’s MVP was on the court more often, and that gave Detroit a better chance to compete.

Honorable Mention: Reggie Bullock

Reggie Bullock went from being a fringe NBA player to a bona fide NBA starter. And he thrived in that role.

Bullock averaged 11.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 62 games this season. His scoring average increased by 6.8 points per game.

Next: Way-too-early starting lineup projections for the Pistons

He also shot 44.5 percent from the 3-point line, putting him second in the league.

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