Isaiah Stewart took home the Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month award for December and by all measures is having a brilliant defensive season for the Detroit Pistons.
Stewart is tops in the league in opponent’s field goal percentage around the rim and is currently third in the league in blocks per game, averaging just over two per contest.
He’s the anchor, heart and soul of the NBA’s second-best defense, and in most seasons all of this would be rewarded with a selection to the All-Defensive team and put you in the running for Defensive Player of the Year.
But just like last season, Isaiah Stewart may not reach the minimums to get there.
Will Isaiah Stewart get to the minimum games played to be on the All-Defensive team?
For players to be eligible for regular-season awards, they must play at least 20 minutes in 65 games, a mark Beef Stew failed to reach last season, even though he did appear in 71 games overall.
He averaged just under 20 minutes per, so even though Stewart had a great defensive year, he wasn’t recognized for it.
And it might happen again this season.
Stewart has currently played 24 games of 20+ minutes with only 48 games (how is the season almost half over already?) remaining.
This means Stewart can only fail to play 20+ minutes seven more times this season before being ineligible for awards, which is going to be tough for Stewart for a few reasons.
Stewart has the propensity to get into foul trouble, which can occasionally take him out of games for long stretches. He also gets quick technicals and ejections, so Stewart can’t be getting in fights or kicked out of games if he wants to be on the All-Defensive team.
Given Stew’s physical style, he’s a walking injury risk who only played 96 games combined in the two seasons leading up to last year, so it’s not unthinkable that he’ll get banged up at some point and have to sit for a few games.
All of this adds up to Stewart being a long shot for the All-Defensive team, which is a shame, as he’s clearly been one of, if not the best, interior defenders in the NBA this season.
The NBA put these rules in for a reason, which is to stop load management, which has never been an issue with Stewart, who will suit up as long as he’s physically able to walk onto the court, but there is an argument that you should have to make more impact and play more minutes to be on the All-Defensive team.
Whether you think the rule is arbitrary or not, it is what it is, and Stewart is going to have to play most of the rest of the season if he wants that All-Defense honor.
With Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren potentially missing time with injuries, Stewart should get a chance to start and play big minutes over the next several games, but he will have to continue getting 20+ a night from the bench when he returns there.
Coach JB Bickerstaff has to balance trying to get his player an award he deserves with trying to keep him healthy for the playoffs, and I am sure if you asked Stewart, he would prioritize the latter, so I'll not be shocked if Stew comes up just short again this season.