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