Detroit Pistons: Midseason team awards for 2018-19

MVP: Blake Griffin

The very early-season league MVP talk around Blake Griffin has been silenced as the Pistons fall back into mediocrity, but the 29-year-old power forward is still Detroit’s most valuable.

Griffin leads the Pistons in scoring, assists, field goals made and attempted, 3-pointers made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, as well as minutes per game.

Griffin’s 25.1 points per game is far ahead of the team’s second-most productive scorer, Drummond, who is averaging 16.7 points. Griffin is also handing out 5.3 assists as the team’s primary offensive facilitator.

He is the one whom the offense runs through, and he’s usually the go-to guy when Detroit needs a bucket.

There was (and still is) rightful concern that Griffin won’t be able to stay healthy — he’s been plagued by injuries each of the last four seasons — but so far he’s only missed two games this season, and those were planned days of rest. The Pistons lost both of those games.

Griffin could make his sixth All-Star Game appearance in 2019, but even if he doesn’t, he’s proving this season that he can be great without the helping hand of Chris Paul and that he can still be a franchise player.

The Pistons have a chance to bounce back in the season’s second half and make it into the playoffs. That’s not going to happen without Griffin playing like an MVP.