Pistons immediately land Isaiah Stewart replacement win one elite skill

I had to have a medical procedure yesterday, so woke in a stupor after being sedated only to find the Detroit Pistons had traded Isaiah Stewart, which I initially hoped was a bad dream. 

But the Pistons did in fact trade Beef Stew, cutting the heart out of their team for some cap space.

I have no idea what they are going to do with said cap space, and we knew Stewart was likely to be moved this summer, so I will withhold my judgement until the dust settles, as there is clearly more to come. 

The Pistons will not immediately be able to replace what Stewart brought to the team, as he was a vital part of the cultural shift we’ve seen in Detroit over the last few seasons. They won’t be able to immediately replace Stewart’s leadership or toughness, nor the sense of camaraderie he brought to the roster. 

But they might be able to replace his rim protection and took a step towards it last night by buying their way into the second-round of the draft to select Ugonna Onyenso from Virginia. 

Ugonna Onyenso has an elite skill that could play right away in the NBA 

Normally there would be no reason to get excited about the 53rd pick in the draft, as those guys rarely ever make it in the NBA, and that could certainly be the case with Onyenso, who only has one real NBA skill, but it’s an elite one. 

Onyenso was the best shot blocker in the nation last year for Virginia, blocking just under three shots per game to lead the country while boasting an insane 17 percent block rate that was also the best in college basketball. 

Onyenso gives the Pistons something they didn’t have before, which is a legit seven-footer, one who could possibly slide into the third center role right away, as his shot blocking is elite. 

He doesn’t do much of anything else, but he did flash a shot in his latter days in college and talked about it being something he’s been working on, so don’t be surprised if he tries to add a 3-pointer to his arsenal over the next several seasons. 

This could possibly end up as a two-way signing for the Pistons, who could envision Tolu Smith as their third center of the present, or we could see the Pistons walk away from Smith in favor of Onyenso, who has a more valuable skill. 

The big center from Nigeria is a wall down low, something teams are going to need as we enter the Wembanyama era and look for unicorn whisperers to stop him. 

Onyenso Isn't going to replace what Beef Stew meant to the Pistons, but he could give Detroit back some of the rim protection. 

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