The loss of Isaiah Stewart this offseason will be plenty painful for Pistons fans, but will likely have less of an impact on the court than expected thanks to some of Stew's underrated weaknesses. Chief among those is his rebounding, which was most exploited as a weakness in the playoffs by the Cavaliers. In comparison, his replacement on the depth chart in Paul Reed is an excellent rebounder in his minutes and could end up doing more for the Pistons on defense because of it.
Stewart had plenty of flaws that made him expendable
As much as Stewart did as a culture setter and rim protector, he also had some obvious holes in his game that came back to haunt the Pistons in the playoffs. Although Stewart's energy and excellent timing on blocks contributed to a dominant Detroit defense in the regular season, his lack of size and offensive limitations also led to underwhelming team performances in the playoffs.
Stewart wasn't the only Piston whose weaknesses were ruthlessly exploited in the playoffs, but he was the most tradable thanks to the performances of Reed as a third-string center. In the 2026 playoffs, the numbers were not even close on a per-minute basis between the two backup centers. Stewart finished the postseason averaging 12 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks per 36 minutes. In comparison, Reed averaged 28 points, 15 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per 36 minutes.
Obviously, Reed's averages are boosted by a small sample size; if he could keep up that pace over starter minutes, he would have a case as the best center in the NBA. But still, Reed's advantages over Stewart as a scorer and rebounder are clear on film. Reed has far superior ball skills as both a finisher and driver, on top of better explosiveness when chasing rebounds.
Paul Reed can vindicate the Pistons' decision
Although Stewart's trade stirred up its fair share of controversy among the Detroit faithful, Reed is more than ready to step into a bigger role. It's debatable which of the two centers is the better player over a long regular season, but Reed has proven to be a better playoff performer thanks to his complete skillset. He might not dominate any part of the game like Stewart does with his rim protection, but Reed also doesn't have the same glaring weaknesses that make him easier to game plan.
After winning 60 games last season, the Pistons should firmly be focused on postseason success going forward. They made a fair choice by picking Reed over Stewart for that goal, especially considering Stewart's messy bill of health in the last two playoff runs. But Reed will still have his work cut out for him as the Pistons stare down a ton of formidable centers in the East playoff picture next season.
Pistons fans won't ever forget Isaiah Stewart for his contributions to the franchise's turnaround but it was time for him to leave. He'll be missed, of course, but the loss could wind up being more spiritual than related to actual production on the court.
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