It's time to have the conversation after Pistons' first win
Here’s a sentence I’ve been waiting a long time to write: The Detroit Pistons won a basketball game!
It was their first regular-season win since April 11, leaving just one winless team in the NBA, the Utah Jazz.
Not the worst! Not the worst! Hang the banner!
Sarcasm aside, it was a much-needed team victory against a shorthanded Philly team, which had the Pistons lost, might have sent the fanbase into a freefall.
The Pistons used dominant 2nd and 3rd quarters to build a lead that not even they could blow in the 4th, though there were some nervous moments when Philadelphia went on a run late.
Just about everyone chipped in, particularly Isaiah Stewart, who was everywhere, blocking shots, affecting everything at the rim and grabbing tough contested rebounds that helped seal the game.
One overlooked positive for the Pistons after the 1st week. dark. Next. One overlooked positive for the Pistons after the 1st week
In fact, everyone on the team had a positive +/- except one guy, Jalen Duren, who fouled out in just 11 minutes after registering zero points.
And it’s on that note that we have to start a conversation about the center position.
The Detroit Pistons are better with Isaiah Stewart
However you want to measure it, through statistics or the eye test, the Detroit Pistons are a better team when Isaiah Stewart is on the floor.
He still hasn’t made a 3-point shot, and there are real concerns about his limitations on offense, but he is the team’s best defender, which benefits everyone. Yes, Joel Embiid was out last night, so things were easier on Beef Stew, but he was making plays all over the court and doing all the little things that lead to wins.
Here's a good highlight sample that shows what Stew was doing last night, which was contesting everything. Whether it was defending Maxey on the perimeter or affecting shots in the paint, Stewart was making plays that Duren simply doesn't.
He ended the game with three blocks, but he affected countless shots at the rim, and even when he didn’t get the block, used his body well to make it difficult.
The Pistons have a defensive rating of around 100 when Stewart is on the floor, which is excellent, and 122 when he is off, which is terrible. And since Stewart and Duren have logged nearly all the minutes at center, it’s Duren who is providing the 122 defensive rating.
By any quantitative measure, the Pistons have been better with Stewart than with Duren, and it hasn't been close, so what do we do with this information?