Isaiah Stewart, the center for the Detroit Pistons, as of now looks to be out for his fifth straight game. The Pistons will be taking on the New York Knicks. The 22-year-old has missed most of the starts with a long-term knee injury that has affected his ability to impact the postseason. Stewart made her impact felt on both ends of the floor in the series opener. He didn’t come back after being ruled out for Game 6 on Thursday night.
Before that, Stewart had been involved in the team’s shootaround earlier in the day, which offered some hope that he could be back. According to his coach with the Pistons, J.B. Bickerstaff, Stewart showed up every day and worked hard. His increased capacity each day is a clear indicator that he has made a remarkable recovery. There’s still no doubt that this cautiousness will be a prominent theme as this team seeks to make it through the postseason.
In the regular season, Stewart only touched the court for 45 games—averaging less than 10 minutes a game. As a five-year veteran, his experience is valuable to the team, but his current absence has created opportunities for other players. Rookie Jalen Duren has responded beautifully during Stewart’s absence. He’s putting up a stellar 35 minutes per game thus far in the first-round series. Duren’s expanded role was made clear when he played 25 minutes in their first playoff game, when Stewart was active.
Paul Reed filled in admirably as the team’s No. 3 center through the regular season. His efforts in Games 2-5 have been lackluster. Reed averaged three points and over three boards while playing just over 11 minutes a night. His bottom 3% finishing rate is 99th percentile backup levels, let alone a starting center’s. This graphically illustrates how essential Stewart’s role is to the team.
The last 19 games without Stewart have taken their toll on the Pistons, as always, they hang their hat on their depth and resilience. Good news for them, the other side’s injury situation could not be more crystal clear. Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks are getting hyped to go! They are not on the injury report, meaning they will be eligible to compete.
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