Isaiah Stewart has been one of the focal points for the Detroit Pistons this season as he tries to expand his offensive game.
The results have been fairly mixed overall, as Isaiah Stewart has been one of the team’s best defenders, and has rebounded well, but has shot poorly from 3-point range, hitting only 21 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
He hasn’t shot much better from 2-point range and has continued his frustrating habit of not being able to finish when one of the guards dumps it off to him under the hoop.
But even with his struggles shooting the ball, Beef Stew is still averaging a double double for the season and hasn’t shown any fear when shooting from long range. Eventually some of those looks are going to go in, which will help open up the Pistons’ offense and negate some of the size disadvantage that they have in their starting lineup.
It’s been an up and down start for Stewart, but he has excelled in one area, which has been a pleasant surprise through the first three games of the season.
Detroit Pistons: Isaiah Stewart getting to the free-throw line
Isaiah Stewart currently leads the Detroit Pistons with 7.3 free-throw attempts per game, which is not something I would have expected even this early in the season.
The 21-year-old rarely got to the line in his first two seasons, averaging just 1.4 and 1.5 attempts per game.
Part of this is that Stewart is playing more minutes and getting after it on the boards, averaging 10.7 rebounds per game so far, highest of his career.
Even though he’s been launching more 3-point shots, he’s also been driving to the rim on closeouts and trying to create off the dribble, which has led to more fouls. The problem right now is that Stewart isn’t hitting them at a high rate, as he’s knocked down just 63 percent after shooting over 71 percent from the line last season.
This can be a weapon for him (especially if he starts to make them), as teams are giving him space to drive to the rim and Stewart is strong enough to get there and play through contact.
I do not think Isaiah Stewart will lead the team in free-throw attempts this season but it’s something the offensively-challenged Pistons need after trading Jerami Grant, who was adept at getting to the line.
Most of Stewart’s offensive numbers are eye-popping for the wrong reasons, but it’s good to see him getting to the line more, as the Pistons need as many easy buckets as they can get. Now he just needs to start making them.