Studs and duds: Pistons grades for the first 4 games
Duds: The Centers
Both Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart have good at some things and terrible at others, which has fans asking some uncomfortable questions.
Duren has been a bit more active around the rim, but he has still played mostly lousy on the defensive end. Yes, he is shooting 85 percent from the floor, but all he does is dunk, so that tracks.
There have been signs of improvement but we’re still talking about the exact same things in his third season.
Stewart has arguably been the team’s best defender, but is averaging 2.5 points per game and has still yet to make a 3-point shot in four games. After averaging 4.1 and 3.8 long-range attempts the last two seasons, Stewart is averaging .3 per game in this one so far.
If Stewart is not shooting 3’s, he doesn’t add anything else on offense and is tough to play with another non-shooter, as we saw last night when the Pistons struggled to score with both Stewart and Ron Holland II on the floor.
If you could combine Duren and Stewart into one player you might have something, but right now, both have big flaws that show up in every game. It’s time to start considering whether the Pistons need a big upgrade here, even if Duren still isn’t old enough to legally buy a beer.
It’s early, so I am not giving up on this tandem, but they have to get better.