The Pistons should pull the plug on the 2020 Draft class

The Detroit Pistons are wrapping up an optimistic offseason, as newly appointed President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon has made moves that make sense. He's kicked out Troy Weaver and Monty Williams, brought in veteran shooters and leadership, has hired a head coach who has promise, drafted two high-upside players, and most importantly, has given Pistons fans a sliver of hope that this regime may be different.

While the offseason is wrapping up, Langdon still has cap space to play with and an open roster spot to fill. Does he save the cap space and roster spot for a move at the trade deadline? Either way, more moves will be made.

Troy Weaver's inaugural draft class of Killian Hayes, Saddiq Bey, and Isaiah Stewart was a huge failure. Hayes is out of the league and Bey was traded to Atlanta by Weaver, sustained an injury, and now has been signed by the Wizards, where Weaver now works. That leaves one Piston standing from the 2020 Draft Class: Isaiah Stewart. As Langdon continues to evaluate and overhaul this roster, I think moving on from Stewart is what's best for both the Pistons and Stewart.

Too much drama and not enough production for Isaiah Stewart on the Detroit Pistons

My biggest pet peeve with this Pistons organization is it's so stuck in the past. The number of times I've heard GMs, coaches, players, etc. say something along the lines of: "We need to get back to the Bad Boys/Going to Work days of Detroit Basketball. We need to embody those teams". I vividly recall former GM Troy Weaver saying this exactly and referencing Stewart as a guy who perfectly represents what Detroit Basketball is all about. News flash! This isn't the 1980's or 2004. We need a Pistons team who can play with the teams of today.

Isaiah Stewart feels like a guy who's trying to be Bad Boys 2.0, as he is punching people in tunnels and trying to fight Lebron. But he's a career nine points a game scorer on 49 percent FG efficiency and 34 percent from three-point land. He averages 26 minutes per game. In a league where scoring is paramount, this just isn't good enough. The Bad Boys could also score.

Can Isaiah Stewart mature? Absolutely, as he is only 23 years old. However, his tough guy character is not the only thing that bothers me. He's hardly played these past two seasons. He played 68 and 71 games in his first two seasons, while he played 50 and 46 games these last two seasons. He's constantly getting injured, maybe due to his rough and rowdy play style.

Stewart would be a solid 15-20 minutes a game, energy-guy off-the-bench player for a contending team. However, I don't see him being a key contributor to lifting the Pistons out of the depths of NBA poverty.


On a relatively movable deal, Stewart has some trade value that I think Langdon should capitalize on, whether that's at the deadline in February or within the next month. Rumors swirled last season of Boston being interested in Stewart, along with the Pelicans being interested this offseason. NBA Insider Brett Siegel reported that Langdon and the Pistons may be willing to sacrifice Duren or Stewart for a player like Brandon Ingram. If I am Langdon, I move Stewart before Duren 10 times out of 10.

I am sure Stew is a nice man who works hard, but I am over it. I am ready to officially pull the plug on the 2020 Draft Class. What say you Pistons fans?