Isaiah Stewart continues to add new elements to his game, and gave the Pistons a major boost with his willingness to shoot threes. He started against the Grizzlies at power forward in place of the injured Tobias Harris. Stewart has typically struggled at that position, but he was able to succeed against one of the league's most versatile bigs, Jaren Jackson Jr, with his ever-expanding skillset.
Isaiah Stewart was not afraid to shoot threes
Stewart has reintroduced the three-point shot to his game after abandoning it last season. In this game, he knew he had to take plenty because he was starting next to two non-shooters in Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson. Those two do plenty to provide offensive value on the court, but three-point shooting is not one of those things.
Stew finished the game shooting 2-of-8 from three. The percentage is rather grisly, but it was necessary to provide some semblance of spacing in the starting lineup. He also had a great overall game, finishing with 26 points and 14 rebounds. It's his second 20-point game of the season, and shows clear offensive growth.
On both ends of the court, Stewart is willing to make unselfish plays to help the Pistons win. Shooting that many threes without embarrassment is just another example of his maturity and positive impact. He has also received high praise from his teammates for setting hard screens to get them open.
Defensively, he often has multiple momentum-swinging plays in each game. These usually come in the form of resounding rejections at the rim, and he unsurprisingly had 4 blocks in this game. Whenever Stewart blocks a poster dunk attempt and the Pistons turn it into a quick fastbreak bucket the other way, the energy of the entire game shifts dramatically. Again, it's a sign of Stewart's maturity that he's always willing to contest shots at the rim, even knowing that he's at risk of getting dunked on.
Stewart even showed off the final step of his evolution this game by limiting himself to just one foul. He's been a frequent culprit of the Pistons' foul troubles this season, but reeled himself in as a crucial starter. Defending without fouling consistently can take his game to even higher levels and earn him more minutes.
Isaiah Stewart is now entering his sixth NBA season, and has grown into a tremendous leader for the Pistons. He brings intensity to everything he does on the court, and has shown an unselfish attitude that is bound to rub off on the entire team. Every team wishes they had a guy like Stew in the locker room and on the court.