Detroit Pistons: Old school Isaiah Stewart may be perfect modern center

Detroit Pistons: Isaiah Stewart will eventually be a reliable shooter

Has a reliable jumper

The thing that took Bam Adebayo from role player to All-Star was his improved shooting.

When he came into the NBA, Adebayo’s ceiling was basically a defensive power forward who would run the floor, but after he started knocking down 15-18 footers that ceiling changed.

Isaiah Stewart hasn’t shot the ball much outside of five feet and that’s fine for now, as the Detroit Pistons don’t need him chucking long-range shots.

But in the future? That shot will be there for Isaiah Stewart.

If you look at Adebayo’s rookie numbers and compare them to Stewart’s, they are nearly identical. Beef Stew has slightly better rebounding numbers and Bam has slightly better shooting numbers.

Adebayo’s field goal attempts and percentage have gone up every year since, something we can expect out of Stewart as he gets more comfortable. Keep in mind that Stewart is also a year younger than Adebayo was when he started.

There is evidence that Stewart will make a similar leap in the NBA, as he was a career 77 percent foul shooter in college, a statistic that usually foretells a big guy’s future jumper.

Stewart is already a force on the offensive glass and for now, he will get most of his points off putbacks, but if he eventually develops a mid-range jumper, his ceiling is considerably higher.

Isaiah Stewart has endeared himself to fans of the Detroit Pistons and the “Stew Crew” loves his relentless hustle and physical play.

But there is more to Stewart than just hustle and muscle, his ability to defend all over the floor, switch the perimeter and hit jumpers will eventually make him an ideal big man for today’s NBA.