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Detroit Pistons players possibly in the NBA awards chase

By Noah Stump

DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 11: Derrick Rose #25 of the Detroit Pistons and Luke Kennard #5 of the Detroit Pistons talk during a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers during a pre-season game on October 11, 2019 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 11: Derrick Rose #25 of the Detroit Pistons and Luke Kennard #5 of the Detroit Pistons talk during a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers during a pre-season game on October 11, 2019 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Derrick Rose Detroit Pistons Luke Kennard (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) /

With the Detroit Pistons season nearly underway, there are several players on the roster who could be in the running for awards at the end of the year.

The Detroit Pistons are aware of the go-to award questions fans are asking about this roster: Is Derrick Rose still an MVP candidate? Can Blake Griffin get a Rookie of the Year campaign going this late in his career? Who will win Finals MVP when the Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets 4-2 in the NBA Finals this year – as everyone is predicting.

Some quick fire answers to those questions are as follows: Of course. No, Blake is likely not to adapt to known adversary Ben Simmons’ ways. And, obviously Tim Frazier.

But, in the famous words of Detroit-native and Piston fan, Eminem, back to reality. Here are three realistic opportunities this Piston roster have at awards this upcoming season.

Luke Kennard – Sixth Man of the Year

Sixth Man of the Year is an award that has recently been dominated by the shooting guard position with the likes of Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford. With the addition of small forward Tony Snell into the starting lineup and speculation that Bruce Brown is likely to start at the shooting guard position, Luke Kennard will start his 3rd season coming off the bench for the Pistons.

What sparks the interest in him for this award was his performance in the playoffs last season: He shot 60% from behind the arc and averaged 15.0 points per game with 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists. His shooting ability has always been his upside, with Casey last year, Luke took 74 more threes in the regular season with less minutes played, all the while shooting 39 percent from three, including 41.5 percent in the second half of the season.

His opportunities are likely to rise with new signing, Rose, to be added to the second unit to help create open opportunities for Luke.

Related Story. Top three performers from the preseason. light

Last year Kennard struggled to find his usage in the first unit, especially with Griffin. When playing with the starters vs. the second unit, Luke saw his shooting percentages drop almost 10 percent and usage drop from 22 percent to 14.5 percent.

Though new speculation shows that Kennard and Griffin love playing with each other, the stats show otherwise and prove that Kennard may be much more effective with that second unit.

With the new, revamped roster, particularly in the second unit, Kennard may find himself in a better position to lead and thrive in that spot. In 2017, Eric Gordon took home this award with 16.2 points per game and 2.5 assists.

The last two seasons, Lou Williams has won it scoring over 20 points per game. Kennard can hopefully eclipse a 20 average off of the bench and solidify himself as a noteworthy 6th man.

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