Hamidou Diallo has never really been a starter, although he did a bit with the Detroit Pistons at the end of last year. That is actually good for his improbable 2022 Sixth Man of the Year Award run. That’s right, while Jerami Grant almost won Most Improved this past year, Diallo will be positioned to win Sixth Man honors next season.
It’s a bit of a long shot. The last three winners, Jordan Clarkson, Montrezl Harrell, and Lou Williams, all approached 20 points and usually excelled in some other category. For Williams it was assists, Harrell was a great rebounder, and Clarkson just had an all-around good season.
Diallo has never averaged more than 12 points or two assists. However, he has shown massive potential and improvement already in just 20 games with Detroit. He also provides lock-down defense.
It became apparent right away that Detroit won the trade with the Thunder earlier this season when the Pistons sent Svi Mykhailiuk and a future second-round pick to Oklahoma City. Detroit got a young, confident, high-flying guard/forward.
If he improves at a rapid, yet reasonable measure, this season then the Detroit Pistons could take home one of the NBA’s more prestigious honors. Through his own hard work and a little bit of luck, he could make a real name for himself in the Motor City.
Detroit Pistons: Hamidou Diallo needs to score more
Given that Hamidou Diallo has never averaged even 25 minutes a game, it makes a degree of sense that he’s never been an elite scorer. To take home Sixth Man honors, he needs to improve in this area perhaps more than anywhere else.
Previous winners usually score 18 points a night, Diallo just scored 11 per game in Detroit. But Detroit had unreliable and inconsistent lineups. Next year, the Detroit Pistons are going to approach each game with a heightened degree of seriousness.
This ought to result in Diallo playing more minutes with the same players over and over. With a pretty clear-cut starting five of Grant, Bey, Cunningham, Stewart and Hayes; Diallo won’t be playing with elite talent, so is positioned to be one of the top scoring options off the bench, which should be far more consistent than last season.
The result of Diallo playing with real and consistent talent means more scoring, efficient shooting percentages, and better assist numbers. He’s already a good rebounder for his size and position, so if he can score 17 or more a night and play well-rounded basketball with a solid unit, he should finish in the top three when it comes down to final voting.
On top of offensive prowess, Diallo is a very good shot blocker. His block percentages were some of the highest on the roster with 2.2% of all opponent shots being blocked by him. While he is a good perimeter defender, he doesn’t put up great stats. Diallo makes up for this by being one of the better shot blockers at his position, and the stats back it up.
Detroit Pistons’ Hamidou Diallo must establish and keep media attention
It’s no secret that the national media will be focused on Detroit. In case you haven’t heard, Detroit possesses the first overall pick, and whoever they take will be the darling of the media, much like LaMelo Ball was this year. On top of that, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart are some of the best young players in the entire league, and if Jerami Grant makes an All-Star run, then the Pistons will be one of the hottest teams in the NBA.
There will be times when the centerpieces are resting, and it’s up to Diallo to keep people interested all 48 minutes of a game. With insane shot blocks, posturizing dunks, and an overall fun game to watch, Diallo should have no problem with this.
He possesses the athleticism and vertical jump of a young Derrick Rose. I suspect he’ll be featured on highlight shows most nights.
Who votes for the Sixth Man of the Year Award winners? The media, of course. And if Diallo is a focal point of Pistons’ highlights in an already hyped market, writers will become very familiar with him very fast, propelling him up the rankings.
If Diallo is the leader of the bench unit he will have the opportunity to make elite plays on every end of the floor. He’s not the best when it comes to assists, but that matters less when you lob one up for Saben Lee or Josh Jackson on a fast break.
Maybe he knocks down a three on possession and then the next puts Jarrett Allen on a poster. If Detroit’s bench is flashy and successful, no one embodies that more than Diallo and he could run away with the award.
The Pistons Need to be Good for Hamidou Diallo to succeed
Diallo can have a great season, but being a bench warmer on a bad team means very little in terms of winning individual awards. He could average 20 points and seven boards, even two blocks, but if the Pistons win only 25 games then he’ll be seen as a scrub on a bad team.
The rest of the team needs to carry some weight. If the Pistons were good then Grant would have been an All-Star and won Most Improved Player. These types of awards go to good teams only.
To make it really clear, only two Sixth Men have missed the playoffs during his campaign. In the 2017-18 season, Lou Williams’ Clippers missed the playoffs despite having a 42-40 record. Dell Curry’s Hornets also fell short in 1994. Not only does Diallo need to be the clear leader of the bench unit and be productive when he checks in with the starters, but he needs to do it on a good team.
Of course, this isn’t all on him. He needs to play productive basketball, but it’s a team sport.
Diallo is certainly a dark-horse pick, it would be a shock to the league if he took home the award, but it’s not totally off-base to say him winning it is plausible. He possesses the means to improve as well as the strength and athleticism to stay relevant in a highlight-oriented media.
The coverage could be there, and if coach Casey gives him the minutes needed to make a strong case then Diallo is more than capable of putting himself in the conversation.