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.
Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes and rookies will help Stewart out
Killian Hayes had a fairly underwhelming rookie season, but most of that can be chalked up to injuries and adjusting to life in the NBA.
But he has already shown himself to be a good playmaker with a pass-first mentality, and no fear to make a risky pass. Stewart can run the pick-and-roll with Hayes and be a lob target all season. Much like swatting opposing shots, catching lobs is also fun, and makes for good highlights too, which just adds to the potential exposure Beef Stew can get next season when all-star voting begins..
On top of that, between Saddiq Bey and Jerami Grant on the wings, Detroit will either add Jalen Green, who can shoot from anywhere, or Cade Cunningham, who can drive in the lane and dish to a big. Either way, Isaiah Stewart will be the only person down low for most of the games, and will be getting easy buckets down low.
There’s no reason why he can’t be a 20-and-0 guy very soon, along with his already stellar defense. The roster GM Troy Weaver and company are building works perfectly for Stewart to thrive and improve rapidly.
The current players might end up being support to a Stew and Cade or Green tandem of dominance.
Detroit Pistons center ‘Beef Stew’ doesn’t miss
I mean, Isaiah Stewart di shoot 60% from inside the arc.
Of the four centers (and Zion) who played in the 2021 All-Star game, Stewart did better than Nikola Vucevic and Domantas Sabonis, and was on par with reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. He was only behind Zion, who could go down as one of the best interior scorers in NBA history, and Rudy Gobert, who led the league in two-point shot percentage.
Zion Williamson was the biggest basketball prospect to hit the NBA since 2003, and Stewart still managed to score more efficiently than he did in his rookie campaign.
In fact, Stewart is more efficient than any All-Star center was in their first season, and this was without an elite passer, which he should gain next year through a healthy Killian Hayes (and maybe Cade Cunningham.
Stewart does need to work on his free-throw shot, but with Ben Simmons making three All-Star games and Giannis Antetokounmpo making five, and both awful free throw shooters, this bump on his resumé clearly won’t hold him back from All-Star honors.
On top of a future All-Star nod, Beef Stew could also contend for the Most Improved Player award next season.
While it usually doesn’t go to second-year players, it has before, and usually, players are awarded it by year three or four, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Jerami Grant might be snubbed again next year and not be an All-Star, which realistically leaves Bey or Stewart, and I’ll take Stewart any day.