Rookie Play, Highlights & Discussion

[Quentin]

LaMelo is still the rookie of the year. Nobody has really stepped up since he went down and shown to be a better player.

Agree to disagree.

[Han Solo]

Isaiah Stewart is one of the best players in this draft. His game has evolved in less than a year, more than young players do in multiple years.

Beyond impressed with him. He’s cut from the same cloth as Rodman and Ben Wallace too. Even has a little Rasheed in him with his pretty 3 point shot.

I wouldn’t trade him for Wiseman. Think Stewart is still flying under the radar of casual fans. He’s going to be the foundation of the Pistons going forward.

[Han Solo]

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Last few games

[Moses ShamMoses]

Curious non-Piston fans opinion of Isaiah "Beef Stew" Stewart. When he was drafted at 16 I thought it was a reach but he's been really impressive. Relentless, strong, long and athletic enough. He seemed like a nice energy big early but then a few weeks ago he started launching 3 pointers and making them at 40% clip. He looks like a starter in this league.

[XTC]

Anthony Edward's has REALLY improved since the beginning of the year and hes showing why he was picked #1.

Efficiency isnt there just yet, but the growth he has shown is amazing.

I believe hes averaging something like 23/5/3 in his past 25 games. That's insane for a guy who wont turn 20 for another 100 days!

[Han Solo]

Curious non-Piston fans opinion of Isaiah "Beef Stew" Stewart. When he was drafted at 16 I thought it was a reach but he's been really impressive. Relentless, strong, long and athletic enough. He seemed like a nice energy big early but then a few weeks ago he started launching 3 pointers and making them at 40% clip. He looks like a starter in this league.

I the small amount of time we’ve seen him on the floor with Killian Hayes, they appear to have great chemistry too. Killian sets him up beautiful. Only guard on our team that can consistently throw lobs to Stewart. Killian puts them right in his hands.

I’m so excited for our future. Killian Hayes, Saddiq Bey, and Isaiah Stewart were so great for us. Can’t believe they came from the same draft. Saben Lee looks like a good backup point guard too. Troy Weaver did about as good as he could putting this team together. I don’t think we will be rebuilding for long. Hopefully we get a top 5 pick this year and we can be off to the races. Jalen Green would be a perfect fit in Detroit.

Killian Hayes
Jalen Green
Saddiq Bey
Jerami Grant
Isaiah Stewart

Saben Lee/Dennis Smith Jr
Hamidou Diallo/Frank Jackson
Josh Jackson
Sekou Doumbouya/Tyler Cook
Mason Plumlee

That team will be a tough team to beat next year with the rookies in their sophomore seasons. We can add a decent player in FA too.

I’m more excited for this team than I’ve been in a decade. Dwane Casey has all these guys playing hard. They have an edge. Their identity is they are a tough basketball team. I just hope we lose enough this year to sneak into a top 5 pick. Like I said, Jalen Green is a perfect fit for the Pistons. I doubt we get he top pick, so I’m not even considering we get Cade Cunningham. Would be great if we did, but i would be so happy with Jalen Green if we didn’t.

[KGtabake]

Curious non-Piston fans opinion of Isaiah "Beef Stew" Stewart. When he was drafted at 16 I thought it was a reach but he's been really impressive. Relentless, strong, long and athletic enough. He seemed like a nice energy big early but then a few weeks ago he started launching 3 pointers and making them at 40% clip. He looks like a starter in this league.

I the small amount of time we’ve seen him on the floor with Killian Hayes, they appear to have great chemistry too. Killian sets him up beautiful. Only guard on our team that can consistently throw lobs to Stewart. Killian puts them right in his hands.

I’m so excited for our future. Killian Hayes, Saddiq Bey, and Isaiah Stewart were so great for us. Can’t believe they came from the same draft. Saben Lee looks like a good backup point guard too. Troy Weaver did about as good as he could putting this team together. I don’t think we will be rebuilding for long. Hopefully we get a top 5 pick this year and we can be off to the races. Jalen Green would be a perfect fit in Detroit.

Killian Hayes
Jalen Green
Saddiq Bey
Jerami Grant
Isaiah Stewart

Saben Lee/Dennis Smith Jr
Hamidou Diallo/Frank Jackson
Josh Jackson
Sekou Doumbouya/Tyler Cook
Mason Plumlee

That team will be a tough team to beat next year with the rookies in their sophomore seasons. We can add a decent player in FA too.

I’m more excited for this team than I’ve been in a decade. Dwane Casey has all these guys playing hard. They have an edge. Their identity is they are a tough basketball team. I just hope we lose enough this year to sneak into a top 5 pick. Like I said, Jalen Green is a perfect fit for the Pistons. I doubt we get he top pick, so I’m not even considering we get Cade Cunningham. Would be great if we did, but i would be so happy with Jalen Green if we didn’t.

I share your optimism. I like your youngsters too. You are going to get a great pick this year.
You have no bad contracts. The Plumlee signing wasn't making sense at the time but he's not a bad contract by any means. I also have to say that i didn't like the fact that Doumbouya was benched.
From this season's youngsters, i like Bey in particular.

[Creativetran]

Killian Hayes
Jalen Green
Saddiq Bey
Jerami Grant
Isaiah Stewart

Replace Hayes with Halliburton and I like the core MUCH MUCH better, but props on the draft, Bey and Stewart look like steals.

[CP War Hawks]

Curious non-Piston fans opinion of Isaiah "Beef Stew" Stewart. When he was drafted at 16 I thought it was a reach but he's been really impressive. Relentless, strong, long and athletic enough. He seemed like a nice energy big early but then a few weeks ago he started launching 3 pointers and making them at 40% clip. He looks like a starter in this league.

I liken him to a somewhat more efficient Capela w/o the impact as the projection. He has a really strong motor and will to compete. He will always have some physical limitations against the elites at center.

[Han Solo]

Killian Hayes
Jalen Green
Saddiq Bey
Jerami Grant
Isaiah Stewart

Replace Hayes with Halliburton and I like the core MUCH MUCH better, but props on the draft, Bey and Stewart look like steals.

I know Haliburton is better right now, but i really like Hayes for our team.

[ElectricMayhem]

Isaiah Stewart's last 3 games:
Tonight vs. Cleveland:
31.5 minutes
8/12fg
18 pts
16 rebs
3 blks
3stls
2tos

April 18 @Washington:
24 minutes
7/11 fg
19 pts
12 rebs
2 blks
1 to

April 17 vs. OKC:
32 minutes
7/12 fg
15 pts
21 rebs
2 blks
3 asts
1 to

[Roger Murdock]

Fun game for the Cavs. Okoro looked terrible but all 3 Pistons rookies looked good, especially Stewart who clowned Josh Allen. Hayes looked really bad early in the season but balled a bit tonight. 2 years ago people literally said Sexton was the worst player ever. Then last year people literally said Garland had the worst season of all time. Now both are ballers.

[MotownMadness]

Fun game for the Cavs. Okoro looked terrible but all 3 Pistons rookies looked good, especially Stewart who clowned Josh Allen. Hayes looked really bad early in the season but balled a bit tonight. 2 years ago people literally said Sexton was the worst player ever. Then last year people literally said Garland had the worst season of all time. Now both are ballers.

Missed the game tonight but good to see Hayes playing better lately. Kid has great playmaking and defensive potential

[tmorgan]

We’re still going to have a lot of growing pains games with Killian Hayes, but his potential is enticing. Such a good passer and defender for a rookie. His handle is sloppy (and off hand is weak), and his shot needs work, but if he can become an average three point shooter and improve his ball control, he’s a winner. Such vision.

Stewart is a worker. As long as he keeps that edge, he’s going to produce.

Bey has a pretty advanced game as an older rookie. He’s gotten the most starts and pub of the three. Just set the (very random) rookie record for most games with 6+ threes made. Ceiling isn’t enormous, but clearly a good player.

Nice draft.

[HeartBreakKid]

Stewart is really good, his IQ on defense is quite high. He is probably a top 3 rookie this season.

[Klomp]

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[HotelVitale]

Curious non-Piston fans opinion of Isaiah "Beef Stew" Stewart. When he was drafted at 16 I thought it was a reach but he's been really impressive. Relentless, strong, long and athletic enough. He seemed like a nice energy big early but then a few weeks ago he started launching 3 pointers and making them at 40% clip. He looks like a starter in this league.

I the small amount of time we’ve seen him on the floor with Killian Hayes, they appear to have great chemistry too. Killian sets him up beautiful. Only guard on our team that can consistently throw lobs to Stewart. Killian puts them right in his hands. I’m so excited for our future. Killian Hayes, Saddiq Bey, and Isaiah Stewart were so great for us. Can’t believe they came from the same draft. Saben Lee looks like a good backup point guard too. Troy Weaver did about as good as he could putting this team together. I don’t think we will be rebuilding for long. Hopefully we get a top 5 pick this year and we can be off to the races. Jalen Green would be a perfect fit in Detroit. That team will be a tough team to beat next year with the rookies in their sophomore seasons. We can add a decent player in FA too. I’m more excited for this team than I’ve been in a decade. Dwane Casey has all these guys playing hard. They have an edge. Their identity is they are a tough basketball team. I just hope we lose enough this year to sneak into a top 5 pick. Like I said, Jalen Green is a perfect fit for the Pistons. I doubt we get he top pick, so I’m not even considering we get Cade Cunningham. Would be great if we did, but i would be so happy with Jalen Green if we didn’t.

I share your optimism. I like your youngsters too. You are going to get a great pick this year. You have no bad contracts. The Plumlee signing wasn't making sense at the time but he's not a bad contract by any means. I also have to say that i didn't like the fact that Doumbouya was benched. From this season's youngsters, i like Bey in particular.

One thing to add is that Bey is already 22 and was expected to be far more ready to roll. Stewart and Hayes are both 19 and Hayes in particular was a major project.

[CptCrunch]

I think we need to re-evaluate big scouting.

Isaiah Stewart was thought to be a lumbering dinosaur + beefcake who isn't compatible with modern basketball, while Wiseman was thought of as a skinny unicorn. The same can be applied to Vernon Carey Jr.

[Moses ShamMoses]

Yeah I was skeptical that Stewart would amount to much more than a backup center (or token starter) which I why I didn't like spending pick #16 on him. Man o Man, was I flat out wrong about this dude. I don't know where he would go in a re-draft today (most GMs wont be swayed *too much* on 1 season of results) but I would be a bit surprised if its not Top 10 after a few years when the dust finally settles.

[MotownMadness]

I think we need to re-evaluate big scouting.

Isaiah Stewart was thought to be a lumbering dinosaur + beefcake who isn't compatible with modern basketball, while Wiseman was thought of as a skinny unicorn. The same can be applied to Vernon Carey Jr.

He's just non stop energy which eventually results in big numbers. The surprising thing is how good his shot is looking, wasn't expecting that.

His height is his only downfall but he's got a huge wingspan that helps him out.