The Detroit Pistons' postseason experience has been a wild roller coaster ride filled with lukewarm play from Jalen Duren, heroic performances by Cade Cunningham, and an unexpected rise from Tobias Harris.
Throughout it all, though, a major problem has been brewing on the Pistons' bench, and this time it doesn't stem from the lack of offensive production, but instead from a key role player who simply doesn't look like himself.
Isaiah Stewart missed an extended period of time in the regular season due to a calf strain that gave him a brief period to ramp up before the postseason began.
In round 1, the defensive-minded forward struggled to find his footing, which was seemingly blown off with the expectation that eventually he'd be able to return to his former self with more minutes under his belt.
And after yet another lackluster showing in Game 2, those hopes are starting to look more and more like a concern by the day.
Isaiah Stewart is hurting the Pistons more than he's helping
Stewart's role on the Pistons from day one has been clear; he's the tone setter that let's opposing teams know that Detroit won't back down from anything.
The Washington product offers grit, defensive hustle and reliability on the offensive glass that often translates to Detroit being the most physical team in every matchup.
Up to this point, not only has Detroit failed to live up to that standard, but Stewart has failed to make his presence felt.
Averaging 4.1 points and 2.9 rebounds through nine games, it's safe to say that Stewart's lack of impact, mixed with Duren's inconsistency, has turned the Pistons frontcourt into one of the biggest weaknesses for Detroit.
Whether Stewart's struggles stem from an ongoing injury, a decline in minutes, or simply mind games that have hindered him is unclear, but the harsh reality is, until the undersized big man takes a step back to reevaluate if he's able to contribute right now or not, Detroit finds themselves in a rough spot.
Stewart's presence is putting J.B. Bickerstaff in a rough spot
For Bickerstaff, it's not a total surprise to see him reluctant to fully pull the plug on Stewart, even when he's struggling.
The head coach is hanging on to the hope that his defensive forward will snap out of his slump and impact the game like he's done all season long, and while that's easy to validate, the tough truth is that with Stewart active, the minutes he's on the floor are being taken away from a player who could impact the game better than he currently is.
If he's not injured, that's one thing. However, all signs suggest he's dealing with something that is holding him back, and if he can't help himself, he should help his team by putting their success over his own.
Obviously, the hope is that Stewart returns to his former self sooner rather than later, but until then, it may be time for Bickerstaff to go another direction in terms of his bench rotation.
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