Isaiah Stewart is mostly known for his on (and off) the court altercations, but with a few more minutes per game next season, he could soon be recognized as one of the most versatile big man defenders in the NBA.
Stewart was discussed at length recently on The Game Theory podcast, with the two hosts gushing about his ability to do just about everything on defense.
They had Stewart just outside of their top 25 defenders in the NBA, but that was only because he didn’t play enough, something that also stopped him from consideration for the All-Defense team last season.
Sam Vecenie called Stewart a “scheme agnostic” big man, meaning he’s not beholden to any one type of defense and can be used in everything from drop coverage to switching on the pick-and-roll, mostly because of his quickness, incredible 7-foot-4 wingspan and elite strength.
You won’t find too many players in NBA stronger than Beef Stew, which allows him to use his chest to stop anyone trying to get to the rim. You simply are not going through Stewart and once he backs you off, those long arms do the rest.
Some fans probably don’t even appreciate Stewart’s defensive wizardry, and there is only one way he is going to get the shine he deserves, and that’s by playing more.
Coach JB Bickerstaff and the Isaiah Stewart dilemma
Coach JB Bickerstaff clearly had a plan for Stewart last season, which was to limit his minutes in an attempt to keep him healthy.
It made sense, as Stewart had only played 96 games in the previous two seasons combined and the Pistons desperately needed the defensive presence and versatility he brought off the bench.
Stewart played fewer than 20 minutes per game, which kept him out of the running for the All-Defensive team but also kept him healthy for most of the season. Stewart played 72 games, which was the most of his career, but he was logging the minutes of a less important role player.
Can Stewart increase his minutes and impact next season without getting hurt? I highly doubt coach Bickerstaff is suddenly going to play Stewart an equal number of minutes as Duren, as Stew fouls too much and his physical style of play takes its toll.
But they need to get more than 19 minutes a game out of one of their best defenders, a guy who gives them matchup advantages because of his ability to defend the perimeter as well as the rim.