In brief flashes, we have seen the two-way perimeter player the Detroit Pistons envisioned Isaiah Stewart becoming.
When the team OK’ed 3-pointers with volume. When he delivered the occasional guard-like drive to the rim against defenses giving him space. When he showed surprising promise on defense while staying in front of smaller players on switches.
This season, Stewart is showing those flashes were genuine. A lifelong center, he’s getting a freedom on offense he’d never had previously. Through 23 games, he has 96 3-point attempts — nearly matching the 109 from his first two seasons combined — while making 37.5% of them. He played in on the Pistons’ Summer League team in July to receive reps at the four; since mid-November, he has spent most of his minutes there alongside other bigs. He’s thriving in his new role.
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“It was something I definitely looked forward to,” Stewart said after practice on Thursday. “I knew it would be somewhat of a challenge because I never played that spot, the four spot, offensively in my life. As I got some game reps under me and watched some film, I’m starting to figure out each game, starting to grow and learn more in that spot.”
It took more than a month for defenses to treat Stewart like a true shooter. Now that they’re starting to drive him off of the 3-point line, he’s showing that the rest of his offensive game — driving to the rim and finishing around and through defenders — may be sustainable as well.
Stewart’s 19-point, 11-rebound performance during Wednesday’s 141-134 overtime road win over the Charlotte Hornets was one of his most perimeter-oriented games yet. He knocked down two of three 3-point attempts, and four of his six made shots inside the arc came on drives to the rim, with six total drives in Charlotte. That’s far more than his average this season of a single drive per game entering Wednesday.
His first driving bucket came against former Piston Mason Plumlee, just after halftime. Stewart lost PJ Washington with a behind-the-back dribble, then drove left, got his shoulder into Plumlee’s body, turned right and hit a hook. Four minutes later, Jaden Ivey delivered a pass to Stewart as he crossed the 3-point line. Stewart continued his motion with a couple steps and showcased his body control and touch with a finger roll over the defense.
Stewart closed the quarter with a driving hook over Nick Richards, then punctuated his strong night with a poster dunk on Richards. Charlotte’s defense appeared to anticipate Stewart giving the ball back to Killian Hayes above the 3-point line. Stewart had a better idea.
Stewart said he expected his 3-point shooting would be good this season, because he shot it at a high clip during workouts. He knew that once he got enough game reps, he’d develop the confidence needed to knock them down consistently. But his drives to the rim are a result of reading and reacting to the game in real time. He’s learning on the fly how his off-ball gravity can create easy looks for himself inside.
“That’s game flow, but I try to fit it in here (during practice) where you’re getting ran off the line, because I have to decision-make,” Stewart said. “I either got the rim or gotta make a pass out. And that also comes from watching film, seeing how they close out on me, what angles I can take.”
Stewart’s development as a power forward is still ongoing. He’s driving more in December, averaging two per game this month. Next up is recognizing opportunities to set up shots for his teammates. The Pistons are happy with his progress thus far, though.
“He’s done a good job of adjusting and taking the right 3-point shots, attacking off the dribble,” coach Dwane Casey said Thursday. “He did a good job of that last night. It’s where we thought it would be.”