Copyright M Live Michigan
DETROIT — Isaiah Stewart doesn’t blame opposing players for trying to challenge him. He’d do it too if he saw a 6-foot-8 big man out on the court serving as the focal point of a team’s defense. But, Stewart is teaching the NBA it’s not wise to think that way when they see him. “I’m undersized for a center spot, but who cares? I got great timing, I study the game, I study defense,” Stewart said. ”I’m going to be there. Whether you dunk it or not, you’re going to have to go through this big frame.” Through his first five seasons in the league Stewart has shown great ability to be a force in the paint, but with a growing role in second-year coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s system, teams might not be ready for just how lethal Stewart is at the rim. Though only eight games into the season, Stewart is averaging a career-high 2.4 blocks — currently tied for second in the NBA — a full block more than last season while being a player his teammates think the league is still trying to figure out. “Stew is just so misunderstood,” Pistons guard Cade Cunningham said. “He’s so skilled. He’s so smart. His feel for the game is unmatched. I feel like that’s why he goes and gets blocks. He sees stuff coming. “You don’t really find Stew getting taken off his feet and people getting him with jump fakes and stuff like that, takes a lot of skill to be able to do that. He’s only gotten better every year, his work ethic. People just don’t understand how good Stew is.” Stewart, 24, is something of an unusual case around the NBA. After being selected 16th overall by the Pistons in 2020 and a member of the All-Rookie second team, Stewart made gradual improvements as his role got bigger on offense with a team that wasn’t making any noise. But when Bickerstaff came in last season, Stewart was asked to take on a more defensive-minded role and he was asked to primarily come off the bench after starting 177 games in his first four seasons. A trip to the playoffs was thanks in large part to Stewart’s contributions off the bench — though he missed most of the series due to injury — but Year 2 he has more on his plate offensively. It hasn’t led to a fluctuation of his defense in any way. Stewart is posting a career-high 11.5 points so far, shooting 39% from beyond the arc as he’s been encouraged to take more deep shots. But his defensive numbers are among the best in the league with a block percentage of 4.9% compared to 3.5% last season, according to Cleaning The Glass, which is third in the NBA behind 7-foot-5 superstar Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers’ 6-foot-10 rookie center Adem Bona. It’s led the Pistons to being the best team in the NBA at defending the rim, allowing a league-low 54.1% shooting rate. All of this change and he still takes pride in everything he does for the Pistons. His film study is a crucial part of what prepares him to go up and block some of the toughest bigs in the league. “You start to see what shots should be a block. You’re able to read the defense a little sooner to get there,” Stewart said. “Keeping that mentality, I feel I am the best, best, best rim protector in this league. I show that every single game. I meet anybody at the rim and I take pride in protecting the rim and putting my body on the line every night for that.” Bickerstaff says he doesn’t know how tall Stewart legitimately is despite his 6-foot-8 billing. What he does know is that his arms are long and his mindset is unrivaled. “He’s got sneaky long arms...he’s got strong hands also,” Bickerstaff said. “Like, for him to be able to stop people who are coming full force trying to dunk on him, you got to think about the strength that he has in his arms and hands to be able to hold people and get people from finishing over the top of him.” That size Stewart knows players see is deceptive and that’s proving to be something of an advantage. Players will try him more, but Bickerstaff believes Stewart is developing a reputation in the league as a guy teams will need to move the ball around more and do some “crazy (expletive)” to avoid getting a shot blocked by him. The Pistons’ coach doesn’t shy away from proclaiming Stewart as the best rim protector in the league thanks to his elite timing and anticipation out on the court. But it’s the intangible heart Stewart plays with that really sets him apart from other defenders. “It’s a fearlessness where a lot of people would just get out of the way because they don’t want to get dunked on anymore. Isaiah doesn’t mind,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s going to go up there and he’s going to challenge anybody because it’s the right thing to do. That’s his responsibility for this team, is to protect the rim. It doesn’t matter to him the outcome because he’s going to get more times than he’s been got.” That aspect of Stewart’s personality is at the forefront in everything he does, it’s what his teammates latch on to and brings them energy on a daily basis. Whether it’s getting work in the gym, studying game film or developing knowledge to tend to his farm, Stewart puts his all into what’s in front of him. “He lays his body on the line every game. Every game, he puts his heart into it. He might not be the biggest guy, but he has the biggest heart,” Pistons center Jalen Duren said. “It’s almost funny to see guys still try to dunk on him because it’s so rare to see it happen. He’s a guy who works his butt off every day, who really has a passion for the game and a passion for the city and really embodies what Detroit culture is.” This core group of the Pistons have all watched as the longest-tenured player in the franchise among them has sought to improve and developed into a defensive menace. Does Duren still try and dunk on Stewart in practice? “Absolutely.” But Duren won’t get into his success rate against the self-proclaimed best rim protector in the league. “It’s Isaiah Stewart, next question.”
