The Detroit Pistons’ fifth-year big man Isaiah Stewart has had his overall impact on the team questioned over the years. However, the impact of the 23-year-old this season cannot be questioned; in an undeniably positive way. Due to this, Stewart and the Pistons must understand how much they need him on the floor.
Isaiah Stewart Must Be More Responsible
The Detroit Pistons have played 13 games so far, sitting at 5-8 and coming off a heartbreaking loss to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. This team has looked much better this season, but you can’t ignore opportunities Detroit has had to have a handful more wins to start the season. There are many reasons why the Pistons haven’t capitalized on opportunities, but the most recent one is Stewart getting ejected in the third quarter of the loss to the Bucks.
The Pistons were already down Jaden Ivey, Simone Fontecchio, and Tim Hardaway Jr. Along with this, the only player on the Detroit roster that can match up with the superstar Antetokounmpo is indeed Stewart. Stewart committed a Flagrant 2 foul in the third quarter, gave the Bucks two free points, and was ejected. The Bucks would go on to take advantage of this and outscore the Pistons 38-24 in the third quarter and win in overtime.
As a fifth-year player, Stewart must be more responsible, and smarter, and understand his importance to this team.
Stewart On/Off Impact
So far this season, the Detroit Pistons have been much better with Stewart on the floor vs. off the floor. Per 100 possessions, Detroit is 8.7 points better with Stewart on the floor this season. Stewart’s improvement as a roll man on the offensive end of the floor, along with the ability to space the floor (please shoot more threes), is no longer viewed as a possible liability on the offensive end of the floor.
However, the biggest difference that’s seen is on the defensive end. The Pistons have put a lot of stock in the development of Jalen Duren, their third-year big man. Duren is more skilled than Stewart offensively, but the difference on the defensive end is glaringly noticeable. The Pistons’ defense with Duren on the floor is 6.1 points worse than with him off of it; whereas the Pistons’ defense is 6.7 points better with Stewart, sitting at a 106.4 defensive rating.
J.B. Bickerstaff and the Pistons have seemingly made their decision to start Duren and develop him on the defensive end of the floor, which is not a right or wrong decision. It’s a reasonable decision that most in the community understand and are okay with. However, if Duren is going to continue to lag behind Stewart on defense and the team is going to continue to be this much better with Stewart on the floor, there’s no question as to who needs to be made the priority in the fourth quarter and important moments of a game.
Numbers To Pay Attention To
- The duo of Cade Cunningham and Stewart have a net rating of +1.90 in 200 minutes, versus the duo of Cunningham and Duren’s net rating of -4.34. Is this an early sample size overreaction, or will this trend continue to play out?
- Cunningham is averaging nearly a triple-double in the last six games of the season: Averaging 23.5 points, 10.5 assists, and 9.0 rebounds. Is Cunningham reaching the point of being a nightly triple-double watch player?
- Despite crafting an offensive roster, the Pistons sit at 22nd in offensive rating and 28th in turnover percentage so far this season. Tobias Harris being so inconsistent shooting-wise, and the turnovers by Cunningham+rest of the team are holding the offensive potential back. Will they snap out of it and start reaching that offensive ceiling?
