Detroit Pistons: Stat that proves Isaiah Stewart is the best rookie defender

Isaiah Stewart has quickly become a fan favorite of the Detroit Pistons and for good reason.

The rookie embodies the hard work, hustle and defensive intensity that have been the hallmarks of all of the great Pistons’ teams of the past.

Like Ben Wallace before him, Stewart is center who can guard anyone, block shots, rebound and and do it with a non-stop motor.

Beef Stew already has his own t-shirt and is well on his way to being the most popular Pistons since the Goin’ to Work era.

He is almost a lock for the All-Rookie team as he is leading all rookies in blocked shots, rebounding and field goal percentage.

But if you take a look at the advanced stats, his case as the best rookie defender this season gets even stronger.

Detroit Pistons: Isaiah Stewart’s defensive impact

According to a recent episode of Hardwood Knocks, Stewart’s impact goes beyond just blocked shots.

Here is the interesting stat they unearthed when discussing Stewart:

"“Pistons opponents shoot 8 percent worse at the rim when Isaiah Stewart is on the floor, which is the fifth largest differential for players who’ve logged 500+ minutes.”"

Stewart is the only rookie on that list, which is pretty impressive considering that rookies rarely make this kind of impact defensively.

Since taking on an expanded role, Stewart has been even better, averaging 11.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots over his last ten games. When you factor in his improved long-range shooting, Stewart not only looks like a steal from last year’s draft but a foundational building block for a good team.

Rookies like LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards have rightfully gotten a lot of attention this season, but there is an argument that Stewart has been one of the most impactful rookies when you factor in his complete game.

The Detroit Pistons are finally headed in the right direction and look like they have a modern Ben Wallace to build around, a guy who should anchor the defense for years to come.