Head coach JB Bickerstaff has to be given a lot of credit for the Detroit Pistons’ remarkable turnaround this season.
There are plenty of things you can point to, but one of the biggest differences between him and Monty Williams is that Bickerstaff entered the season with a plan and has stuck to it.
He has defined roles for every player in the rotation and guys always know if and when they are going to play, something that helps with overall consistency and preparation, especially for the young guys.
This was not the case in past years, when the rotation was all over the place, we saw a million starting lineups and watched development stunted because of it.
Bickerstaff clearly had a plan for each player, and that includes Isaiah Stewart, who has watched his impact increase even though his minutes have gone down.
I touched on this yesterday, as Stewart will be ineligible for the All-Defensive team because he has not played 20 minutes in at least 65 games, a stupid and unnecessary rule that unfairly erases the contributions of bench players.
I’ve seen so many fans arguing in favor of this rule, but missing the point, as voters can decide for themselves if they think 20 minutes a night is worth an All-Defensive nod, and if they don’t, they won’t vote for him. Simple.
Unlike the 65 games rule for the All-NBA team, which makes some sense given the league’s desire to keep stars from sitting out in the regular season, the minutes rule simply punishes guys who aren’t starters for no good reason.
I’m sure Isaiah Stewart won’t care, as he recently declared himself the best defender in the NBA anyway and will be more concerned with making the playoffs than making the All-Defensive team.
It’s tough that Stew won’t get that recognition, but there is some solid reasoning behind limiting his minutes.
Isaiah Stewart is staying healthy
There is certainly a case that Stewart should be playing more than 19.7 minutes a game, especially early in the season when Jalen Duren was struggling.
But keeping Stewart healthy was clearly part of the plan, as he had only played 96 games in the last two seasons combined, seasons in which he averaged around 30 minutes per night.
Stewart has already played 63 games this season and is hopefully on his way to the healthiest season of his career. The Pistons made the decision that 20 minutes of Stewart per night for a full season is better than 30 per night while only playing 46 games, as he did last year.
And if the Pistons make the playoffs, they are going to need a healthy Stewart, as they will almost certainly be playing against a stretch five in the first round, which has been Jalen Duren’s weak spot as a defender this season.
We may see a whole lot more of Stewart in the playoffs, and he should be ready for it.
There is a sweet spot of diminishing return for every player when it comes to minutes, the amount that maximizes their impact without increasing the chance of fatigue injuries and the Pistons likely think they’ve found Stewart’s.
It cost him a deserved spot on the All-Defensive team, but if he’s healthy and ready for a playoff run, who cares?