The season is now over for the Detroit Pistons; they finish 39-43, 9th in the Eastern Conference. It was a disappointing season where injuries set the team back repeatedly, but not quite enough to squash all hope until the very end of the season. Regardless of that, it is time to do the end of season awards for the Pistons.

Most Valuable Player: Andre Drummond

Yeah, this one wasn't hard. Tobias Harris and Blake Griffin would've been worth some consideration, hadn't been traded, but neither was there all season (Griffin should have a good chance for this award next year). The only other real option would've been Reggie Jackson, but he missed a ton of time injured, which pretty much left Drummond as the only realistic option. If you wanted to get goofy, I guess you could say "The Pistons starting power forwards," but that is too much of a stretch. Once Blake Griffin got going, you could argue for him, but other than that, there was no time where Drummond was not the best player on the team.

In the end, 15 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.6 blocks, and a true shooting percentage of 55.5% is an almost comical stat-line. Throw in that he figured out his free throws, finishing the year shooting 60.5% at the line, and you have a great season for Drummond. It is too bad that the team around him fell apart, but this was a great year for Drummond, who improved in pretty much every area.

Sixth Man of the Year: Anthony Tolliver

Anthony Tolliver was not supposed to be the one for this award. Coming into the season the Pistons figured to have a really strong and deep bench, flush with some ball handling, passing, and a ton of shooting. Then injuries started to happen and the Pistons bench suffered as a result. By the end of the season, Anthony Tolliver and Luke Kennard were really the only ones left standing.

That said, even if the injuries didn't happen, Tolliver would've had a very real chance at this award. Tolliver improved in the year he spent in Sacramento, and even more this offseason. He got smarter on defense, got better at passing on offense, learned to dribble, and even shot the ball significantly better than ever before. Tolliver's final line of 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 22.2 minutes per game don't especially stand out, but he shot 43.6% from deep on the season and his defensive play was better than the stats suggest. He won a rotation spot out of a crowded front-court rotation early in the season and never relinquished it.

The only other real options this season were Luke Kennard and Eric Moreland due to how often the bench mob changed. Moreland had a really nice season all things considered. If his late-season offensive spark had shown up a few months earlier, he could have received some consideration here, but it was too little too late. Kennard, on the other hand, got real consideration here, but we will talk about him for the next award. 

Rookie (to the Pistons) of the Year: Luke Kennard

Just so it is clear, this is a new guy on the team. I've done straight up rookies in the past, but Kennard was the only rookie this year, so that would've been silly. That said, the options were still slim once Avery Bradley got traded. In the end, Kennard won this by winning a rotation spot over Langston Galloway, who would've theoretically been the only real competition for Kennard.

Despite the fact that he is not Donovan Mitchell, Luke Kennard had a great rookie season, and he would've had a good chance for this spot even if Avery Bradley was around all season or Galloway was playing. Kennard shot 41.5% from deep, rebounded very well for his position, showed advanced playmaking skills, and was even serviceable defensively. It hurts to know that the Pistons could've had Mitchell, but after one season, it looks like the Pistons really nailed a draft pick at least for the first time since Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. 

Defensive Player of the Year: Andre Drummond

This was a two-horse race the entire season between Stanley Johnson and Andre Drummond. Stanley Johnson improved his defensive game to where he fully belongs among the league's premier all-around defensive wrecking balls, but he just doesn't top Drummond's overall value. Drummond blitzed pick and rolls, averaged over three "Stocks" (steals+blocks) per game, stopped jumping for blocks he had no chance at, got out of position way less and didn't get dominated by Jonas Valanciunas. Oh yeah, Andre Drummond is also the greatest rebounder to ever live, so that's pretty nice, too. Johnson and Drummond formed the backbone of a Pistons defense that will finish the season right around 10th in efficiency. Johnson was the only real option to fill the big wing stopper role, which the Pistons desperately needed. Still, Drummond's defensive prowess was more impressive, which is why he got the nod here. Special shouts to Eric Moreland, who anchored a great defensive bench mob all season, but he didn't play enough minutes to warrant legitimate consideration.

Most Improved Player: Reggie Bullock

I strongly considered giving this to Andre Drummond -- he's improved that much -- but in the end, Bullock won, though partially because having Drummond three times would have been boring. Bullock finally won Stan Van Gundy trust, earning him increased minutes, and was able to stay healthy, and he finally made the most of it. Bullock finished the season shooting 44.5% from deep and, following the Blake Griffin trade, their two-man game was a staple of the offense. As a starter, Bullock averaged 12.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists with a true shooting percentage of 62.5%, which is absurd.

That's it for the season awards. Next up: season recaps for each player. Welcome to the offseason.