The Detroit Pistons are a team on the rise, full of youth and excitement. I can’t be convinced that any of their players will be in the running for the Most Valuable Player or Defensive Player of the Year awards, but internally there is always a race.
Last year, Cade Cunningham almost won the NBA Rookie of the Year (and he probably should have) and was undoubtedly the Pistons’ ROTY, maybe even their MVP, unless you have a Jerami Grant jersey in the back of your closet.
This season, the Pistons are going to be a lot better, and have a much larger spread of talent. Exciting rookies Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren should be drawing attention all season, and Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, and Isaiah Stewart are all trying to continue to make a name for themselves early on in their careers.
On the court, the NBA only offers five individual awards: MVP, ROTY, DPOY, Sixth Man of the Year, and Most Improved player. I’m going to take a page from the NFL’s book and include a Comeback Player of the Year award as well. The NBA as a whole should probably not adopt this honor, as very few players miss an entire season due to injury in basketball, but I think individual teams could award them on a case-by-case basis within the locker room.
Of course, these preseason predictions hinge on Detroit not making any blockbuster moves for the remainder of the offseason, having a predictable starting lineup and rotation, and of course the health of the players.
Now that we’ve laid out the six awards, let’s look at who will bring each one home for the Detroit Pistons.