If you had to name the most problematic position for the Detroit Pistons this season it would be center, as both Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart have shown some critical flaws.
Duren’s defense hasn’t been good enough (though he did step up in the 2nd half last night vs. the Nets, a team that starts Ben Simmons at center) and Isaiah Stewart has offered next to nothing on offense. He still hasn’t made a 3-point shot and his hands have been as suspect as ever.
But Stewart has been one of the team’s best defenders and the Pistons are a better team when he is on the floor. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been on the floor all that much and his absence is hurting Detroit.
Isaiah Stewart stats: Beef Stew is fouling too much
JB Bickerstaff has talked a lot about how the Detroit Pistons want to play physical defense and be known as a physical team.
Stewart definitely provides that physicality, but it has come at a cost this season. Stew is averaging 3.7 fouls per game through the first seven contests, by far the most of his career. He’s 13th in the league overall, which is wild when you consider all the guys ahead of him are playing big minutes and Stewart isn't.
He has only played 18 minutes per game, which is easily the lowest of his career. Just for perspective, Stewart played 21 minutes per game as a 19-year old rookie.
Given Duren’s defensive lapses and Bickerstaff’s refusal to play Paul Reed at all, the Pistons desperately need Stewart to stay on the floor, which he often hasn’t because of fouls.
Early foul trouble limited him to just 11 minutes vs. Cleveland, a team that runs two bigs and a night when the Pistons needed him defensively. Instead, Jarrett Allen had his way with Jalen Duren while Stew watched from the bench.
It happened again last night, with Stewart fouling out after just 13 minutes. In fairness, the refs had a quick whistle last night for everyone, not just Beef Stew, which led to a boring game with absolutely no flow or rhythm (thanks refs!).
Given their limited options at center, the Pistons can’t be without Stewart in the 2nd unit, especially against good teams that have quality big-man depth.
Stewart’s strength and physicality are part of what make him a good defender, but he has to find a way to do it without fouling so much and he certainly has to cut out the boneheaded fouls like the one he had last night, when he pushed a player in the throat blocking out on a free throw.
He picked up a flagrant on top of it, at a time in the 4th quarter when the Pistons were trying to seal the game. Those are the kinds of mistakes that cost you games against good teams.
The league has made it clear so far that they are not going to put up with Stewart’s antics, not when he already has several notorious incidents under his belt.
When Stewart is effectively aggressive, he is a big plus for the Pistons, but when he crosses the line, he can be a liability.