When Isaiah Stewart signed his contract extension, he was the first player in his draft class to sign a non-max contract. He was the first role player extended, for four years and $64 million. At the time, the price was considered an overpay, but he has quickly proven his worth and shown the difficulty of evaluating rookie extensions.
Isaiah Stewart: From overpaid to great value
When Stewart signed his contract extension, he was being used in roles that were not his ideal fit. He was often deployed as a power forward next to another true center such as Jalen Duren or James Wiseman. Stewart was asked to shoot corner threes and guard quicker players on the perimeter. He was still able to fill those roles to an extent, but he wasn’t focusing on his true strengths.
Last season, Coach JB Bickerstaff put him in a position to succeed. Stewart’s minutes decreased, and he was typically the only big on the court when he played. This allowed him to focus on protecting the rim and setting hard screens on offense. Stewart had his best season yet, and many metrics rated him as one of the top defenders in the league on a per-minute basis. His lack of overall playing time also may have contributed to better durability and a lack of injuries throughout the season.
Stewart has quickly shifted public perception of his contract value, although he may not have changed too much in his actual talent and skills on the court. His role has completely changed his impact. Now he’s considered one of the best bargains on the Pistons roster and many teams would be glad to have him on his current contract.
When evaluating players getting a rookie extension, it’s very important to consider that the player's impact can change dramatically in a couple years. Whether it’s due to a different role or the player themselves improving (or even regressing), it can be tricky to judge exactly where a young player will be in a couple seasons.
This will be very important for Pistons management and fans alike to consider in coming seasons. Many young players on the roster will get their contract extensions. Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren are up next and, based on the state of the market right now, their contract extensions could inspire some sticker shock.
Ivey in particular seems to be seeking a rather large contract, although the Pistons are reluctant to give it to him without a larger sample size. If Duren and Ivey do have good seasons next year, you can expect to see some big numbers in their next contracts. Whatever the initial assessment of their contract extensions is, it’s important to know that opinions can shift a lot in just a couple short seasons.