Last season, coach JB Bickerstaff asked his young Detroit Pistons to stay in their respective lanes and that discipline was exactly what they needed, but now it may be time for them to expand those roles.
Coach Bickerstaff established clear roles for all of his young players last season, never asking them to do too much but instead focus on their strengths.
Isaiah Stewart went from a “power forward” who was playing 31 minutes a game and launching nearly four 3-pointers to a backup center who played fewer than 20 minutes a game, barely looked at the basket unless he was right under it and shot fewer 3-pointers than he did in his rookie season.
This worked out for Stewart, who was able to stay healthy with a light load of minutes and established himself as one of the best rim protectors in the league. He also proved himself to be capable of switching on the perimeter and playing whatever defense the Pistons needed him to.
The Pistons spent the early offseason sniffing around stretch bigs, which seemed odd considering Stewart has proven he can knock down 3-point shots at a decent clip, as he hit 38 percent on just under four attempts per game just the season before.
If the Detroit Pistons want to maximize Isaiah Stewart and get the most out of their roster, they are going to need to take the training wheels off again, play him more and let him expand his offensive game.
Isaiah Stewart: More minutes and more shooting
I thought coach Bickerstaff was smart for limiting the roles for many of his young players, as it let them focus on the things they are good at and build upon them, and that includes Isaiah Stewart.
But Stewart’s talent cannot be maximized if he is playing 19 minutes a game and doesn’t even look at the basket.
This is especially true when Ausar Thompson and/or Ron Holland are on the floor, as they are also not shooters, which allows teams to sag into the lane and eliminate spacing.
Stewart doesn’t need to start launching a ton of 3-point shots, but he has to be a willing shooter when he’s wide open, so defenses have to at least pay attention to him out there, which they don’t now.
Coach Bickerstaff clearly put a minute's limitation on Stewart last season, which did help keep him healthy, but it’s not a good investment of resources to pay a guy $16 million a year to play under 20 minutes per game. That may mean playing him some at the four, or in small-ball lineups where his speed and versatility are real weapons on both ends.
Stew is already very good at what he does, but he can do more, and the Pistons may not need further additions if they unlock Beef Stew.