Isaiah Stewart is an often overlooked member of the Pistons’ young core. He was the first player of his draft class to accept a non-maximum contract extension, and has settled himself into a reliable bench role ever since. Stewart’s counting stats aren’t eye-popping but his impact is undeniable, and he can take another leap to become one of the best backup bigs in the league.
Isaiah Stewart is a winning player
Last year, “Beef Stew” found his true calling as a defense-first backup center and played valuable minutes for the Pistons. Despite being 6-foot-8 and relatively unathletic, Stewart leveraged his 7-foot-4 wingspan and impeccable timing to be one of the best rim protectors in the league last year. Opportunities created from his blocks and forced misses at the rim also fueled the Pistons’ transition attack and kept the second unit afloat.
You can’t ask too much more from Stewart on defense. He’s not the most switchable, but also not a complete liability in space either. And his ability to close off the paint is a great safety blanket for weaker defenders that he might find himself playing with. But on offense he can take some small steps to have an even bigger impact.
For one, an improvement in conditioning can pay large dividends. Last year, Stewart played just 19.9 minutes per game - a career low mark. Some of that was definitely to avoid redundancy with Jalen Duren but Stewart improving his conditioning can also give coach JB Bickerstaff more freedom to play him bigger minutes if needed. Additionally, better conditioning will allow him to beat opposing bigs down the court after a defensive play and get some easy points that way.
Stewart’s main value on offense comes as a screener and rebounder. It will be vital for him to establish chemistry with the second unit shooters, especially Duncan Robinson. Stewart is already great at using his physicality to get guys open, but expanding his game to dribble hand-offs and more decisiveness on the short roll will elevate him to the next level.
Isaiah Stewart may never be properly appreciated by the general public, but he’s already proven to be a winning player. Adding more dimensions to his offensive game and improving his conditioning can get him some more recognition by casual fans and more respect for individual accolades.