Detroit Pistons: Awards and anti-awards at just past the midway point
The Detroit Pistons have played 49 games this season and are less than a month away from the All-Star break, so now seems like a great time for an evaluation of how things have gone so far.
Detroit is at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and has the second-worst record overall, so it’s safe to say that the team has not performed well. Not only are they losing, but have been getting blown out, especially during the most recent four-game losing streak, and have not made the type of progress we’d hoped for, culminating in last night’s embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Bucks.
It’s also safe to say that outside of the two rookies, there won’t be any end-of-the-season awards or accolades coming to the Pistons, nor should there be, as there has been more bad than good this season.
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So let’s give out some team awards for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, 6th Man and Most Improved Player, as well as their opposites.
Detroit Pistons: Team awards and anti-awards
6th Man of the Year: Alec Burks
This was one of the easiest choices, as Burks has arguably been the Pistons only impact role player this season off the bench. He’s shooting 44 percent from 3-point range and has played well enough to make himself a trade target for several contenders.
He’s on a great deal and does his job. If the Detroit Pistons were actually a good team, he might be in the running for the league award.
Hamidou Diallo should also get some recognition for his play of late, but he hasn’t consistently done it all season as Burks has.
Not the 6th Man of the Year: Cory Joseph
No one expected CoJo to be a force by any means, but he was at least a steadying hand last season who could take over the offense in spurts and hit 3-point shots. This season he is shooting just 38 percent from the field and 30 percent from long range. Even though the Detroit Pistons haven’t had their full complement of guards, his minutes have gone way down and he’s basically given the Pistons nothing off the bench.