Love/hate for 7 key Detroit Pistons and Monty Williams

Isaiah Stewart 

Love: His overall improvement 

Hate: That he can’t stay healthy 

You could argue that Isaiah Stewart improved more than any young player this season, as he made 38 percent of his long-range shots and emerged as one of the Pistons’ only good defenders. There are still big questions about his ultimate role, and one goal the Pistons should have this offseason is adding enough talent to push Stewart to the bench as a versatile backup big who plays both spots as needed. 

But with all the talk about Pistons’ injuries this season and which guys are “injury prone,” Stewart’s name rarely comes up even though he’s only played 96 games combined in the last two seasons. 

Considering how many games the Pistons have lost to injury, this has to be a concern, as Stewart has only topped 70 games once in his four-year career. Stewart made positive developments this season, but it doesn’t matter if he is sitting on the bench in street clothes. 

Upgrading his position isn’t just about finding a better player, it’s about finding one who can stay healthy.