Isaiah Stewart had a phenomenal breakout season in 2024-25 as a defensive specialist. His rim protection numbers were some of the best in the league and he was able to dominate the defensive end in his minutes. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury after Game 1 of the first-round series against the Knicks which kept him out for the remainder of the series.
Naturally, he found himself very frustrated by a serious injury in the most crucial games of the season. When recounting the experience at media day, Stewart expressed his belief that the series result would have been different if he had been healthy. For fans, his comments have relit the agony of losing such a close playoff series.
Isaiah Stewart’s impact was missed in the playoffs
Stewart wasn’t just an incredible rim protector last season; he was also a great defender all around. His quick feet allowed him to switch onto perimeter players and keep up with other bigs who often have advantages. One such big is Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks, who has some of the best long-range shooting and fluidity of any center in the NBA.
Without Stewart, the Pistons struggled to contain KAT effectively. They had to either resort to Tobias Harris guarding him in the post and giving up a size advantage, or have Jalen Duren guard him and be a mismatch in terms of quickness. As a result, Towns had a productive series and had some absolute daggers in Game 4 that were pivotal to securing a Knicks win.
Stewart’s presence would have certainly made KAT’s life harder. Although he’s only listed at 6-foot-8, Stew’s physicality and long reach make him a defensive nightmare for even the most talented centers. His game is also perfectly fit for the playoffs, when referees generally allow more contact and swallow their whistles.
Beef Stew also followed up his comment with some doubly agonizing remarks. He said he was ramping back up quickly after this injury and hoping to play if the series went to a game seven. Game six's wild and close ending becomes even more painful for Pistons fans knowing that extra reinforcements could have been coming the very next game.
Malik Beasley ended the game with a look at a wide open three to send the game to overtime, but unfortunately fumbled the pass. It’s all too tempting now to imagine what would have happened if Beasley held onto the pass and converted from outside like he did so often in the regular season.
But alas, there is no point in wallowing about the past with a new season at hand. Hopefully Stewart and the rest of the team can stay healthy through the regular season and playoffs this time around, and the Pistons can make a deeper run into the postseason.