The Mavs just wrecked the Suns with Dwight Powell at center. Having a random rim protector and Stewart and using the cash else where makes alot of since.
Also are we to eager to spend a bunch of money to replace Stewart? I get drafting a guy if the right prospect there but Stewart really improved last season. Stewart is 20 years old he actually could turn out to be better then Ayton. Not saying its likely and I still see him more as a strong backup but surely there is a world where Stewart turns into a better player. He keeps hitting 3s at a high clip with his ability to switch and suddenly he fits the modern game better then a dinosaur paint big like Ayton.
James Edwards did a article a month ago on Stewart and hes ultra bullish.
https://theathletic.com/3250995/2022/04/18/detroit-pistons-isaiah-stewart/"Going into the offseason, Stewart takes with him a blueprint to becoming a successful starting big man in the NBA. He’s got the potential to blend a rare combination of touch and aggression. Not many bigs who play hard like Stewart have the shooting chops that he has. And not many bigs who can shoot have the never-ending motor that’s inside of Stewart.
When you really examine how the 20-year-old ended the season, it’s tough not to see a path to him being a long-term starter in this league. We talked about the blossoming shooting stroke and the improved screening. But it’s on the defensive end where Stewart really entered a new conversation this season.
Essentially, the Pistons’ switching scheme is centered around Stewart’s ability to be a nuisance to opposing ballhandlers. He’s got long arms, quick feet and good instincts. Stewart doesn’t get jittery. He stays pretty grounded as guards and wings try to get him to dance. His hips turn like a sink handle. Teams tended to start games hunting the switch against Stewart, and then quickly learned that their time would be better spent elsewhere.
From Feb. 14, the last game before All-Star break, to the end of the regular season, the Pistons were the 13th-ranked defense in the NBA. Stewart’s ability to switch was a big reason why the team started to turn a corner down the stretch.
“I’m not surprised (that teams are hunting the Stewart switch) just because I’m sure that other guards probably call out that switch thinking that it’s sweet,” Cade Cunningham said. “We like it. I think he’s our best iso defender. The numbers say so. We like it, and we like that teams feel like they can go at him because he’s comfortable out there. It helps us.”
Stewart ended the season providing as many reasons for optimism as anyone. The defense was as good as it’s ever been. The 6-foot-8 center recorded double-digit rebounds in nine of the final 14 games. He shot over 60 percent from 3. Stewart’s limitations rest in his lack of verticality, but he has shown to do so many more things that equate to winning.
Around this time next year, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear Stewart’s name tossed around when postseason ballots come out and the NBA’s All-Defense teams are discussed. Honestly, had the Pistons campaigned even a little bit for the second-year big man to be on an All-Defense team, it’s possible that some chatter would have surfaced this season.
There are bits and pieces of Draymond Green’s game residing within Stewart. He doesn’t carry the basketball IQ of Green, who is one of the smartest players of his generation, but the intangibles and want are there. As Stewart gathers more experience and accumulates more of the tricks of the trade, and the Pistons turn a corner in the win column, it feels almost inevitable that he’ll be widely considered one of the more intriguing defenders in the game. If you’ve been paying attention, you might think so already.
Stewart is collecting all of the tools to become a legitimate big in the modern NBA. The more you watch him, the more you want to raise his ceiling. The shooting would put him in a different tier. It feels like it’s coming.
One day — and I think it arrives next year — Stewart is going to put it all together. And when it happens, the guy who has gotten by simply being relentless will really be a handful."
