The Detroit Pistons started Isaiah Stewart at center in their first preseason game against the Knicks and his game was filled with ups and downs.
He looked comfortable shooting the 3-point shot, and if he can continue knocking those down, he’ll be a big part of the rotation as both a center and power forward in certain lineups.
But some of his weaknesses were on display as well. Isaiah Stewart had just one rebound in 22 minutes and had a hard time keeping Mitchell Robinson off the glass. This is going to be an issue all season, as Stewart is strong enough but undersized for the center position, so will have his challenges against traditional bigs like Robinson.
His defensive versatility and hopefully shooting should offset that on a lot of nights, as he creates mismatches himself with his quickness and (again hopefully) ability to spread the floor.
But his biggest offensive weakness was on full display against the Knicks and it’s something that he has to fix if he wants to remain in the starting lineup for the entire season.
Detroit Pistons: Isaiah Stewart’s hands in the paint
So far in his career, Stewart has not been very good in the pick-and-roll, as he doesn’t really have the hops to be a lob threat and has yet to show that he can consistently hit jump shots.
It looks like the jumpers have improved, so hopefully he can become effective in the pick-and-pop, creating more space for Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey to work in the mid-range and paint.
The problem is that even when Stewart gets open in the paint, he has a hard time catching the ball and often looks like he is wearing oven mitts. He must lead the NBA in paint fumbles and I counted three more of them in the preseason game against the Knicks.
Cunningham and Ivey are going to draw defenders, as they did many times against the Knicks, but when they tried to dump it off to an open Stewart under the rim, he often fumbled the ball, giving the defender a chance to recover, or just losing it completely.
Two of these plays led to turnovers when Stewart essentially fumbled the ball out of bounds. These are plays that most centers dunk, but often lead to turnovers and missed opportunities for the Detroit Pistons.
This could be because Stewart simply doesn’t have good hands, or that he isn’t ready for the pass, or that his lack of size forces him to focus on boxing out instead of being an offensive threat in the paint.
Whatever the cause, he is leaving points and assists on the board in nearly every single game by not being able to handle these dump offs in the restricted area. When you have two guards who can create gravity like Cade and Ivey, you have to have a center that can take advantage when his man goes over to double or contest the shot.
If I were Dwane Casey I’d be firing balls at Stewart out of a cannon in practice to help him improve in this area, which is crucial for him and for the Detroit Pistons.
Stewart is one of the Pistons’ best defenders, so they need him out there, but right now, he is hurting them with his hands and simply has to be better.