The Detroit Pistons have a surprising amount of talent going into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the addition of the first overall draft pick will just help them out. The Pistons have not had an All-Star since 2019, but, with an improving roster, national media attention via the Draft, and fun, recognizable young players, that ought to change soon. Isaiah Stewart could be the one to change it.
My darkhorse pick for Detroit’s next All-Star is not last year’s snub Jerami Grant or first-team All-Rookie Saddiq Bey. Rather, the comparably average young center Isaiah Stewart could very realistically be an All-Star in the very near future, assuming a certain incoming rookie doesn’t.
Detroit Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart: Blocks are Fun and His Defense is Good
Isaiah Stewart is one of the better young defensive centers in the league, and there’s no reason why he couldn’t evolve into a Draymond Green type of rim protector.
At a mere 6-foot-8, ‘Beef Stew’ isn’t nearly as tall as Rudy Gobert or Joel Embiid, but he can make highlight-worthy blocks regularly, which features well on SportsCenter and is an important stat for his position.
His defensive win shares of 2.1 are also very good for someone who was not a regular starter on a bad team. His defense alone will get him far in the NBA, and it will boost his All-Star stock.
On top of that, Detroit could possibly have one of the better defenses in the league next season, and if Stewart is the cornerstone of that unit, some praise will come with it.