The Detroit Pistons are trying to build on a very successful season. After ending the 2023-24 campaign with only 14 wins, the Pistons made the playoffs outright the following season. They were the first team in NBA history to triple their win total.
The Pistons would run into the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, falling in six games. Detroit was robbed on a missed foul call in Game 5, although that’s not what they blame their loss on.
Instead, backup center Isaiah Stewart missed the final five games of the series. He insists he could have neutralized Karl-Anthony Towns.
GettyDETROIT, MICHIGAN – NOVEMBER 01: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks tries to get a shot off against Isaiah Stewart #28 of the Detroit Pistons during the second half at Little Caesars Arena on November 01, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Detroit Pistons Reflect on Loss to New York Knicks
Maybe Malik Beasley could have held onto the ball in Game 6 to hit a game-tying shot. Or Tim Hardaway Jr. could have gotten the call. Maybe the Pistons‘ inexperience caught up to them.
Or, maybe they missed their best defender.
“It was definitely frustrating,” Stewart revealed at media day. “Had I played, the series would have turned out different. We would have been able to advance. Adding what I do on defense and my task with guarding KAT in that series, I feel like it would have been a different outcome.”
Towns shot 45.5% against Stewart in three regular-season matchups, but was only guarded by Stewart for two minutes in Game 1. Stewart would miss the rest of the series, with KAT shooting 48.9% from the floor and averaging 19.7 points in six games.
Of course, Stewart only played in 19.9 minutes per game last season, a career low, so JB Bickerstaff may not have given him the responsibility in the postseason, regardless of health.
Numbers Back Up Isaiah Stewart’s Claim
Despite not being a household name, Isaiah Stewart is one of the best defenders in the NBA.
The NBA’s league-wide field goal percentage within eight feet of the rim is roughly 60%. Stewart, last season, held his opponents to 52.3% in that zone. Compare that to top defenders like Victor Wembanyama (57.5%) and Rudy Gobert (55.1%), and it’s clear that Stewart is elite.
In the regular season, he had a rather small sample size against Towns. It stands to reason that he wouldn’t have played lockdown defense against an All-NBA scorer, but he would have been able to slow him down.
At the very least, he could have used his physicality to beat Towns down, wearing him down over a long series. Of course, he missed most of the postseason. The Knicks are expected to finish with one of the top two records in the Eastern Conference, so unless the Pistons fall to the play-in games, they won’t meet New York in the first round.
The Pistons won’t play the Knicks until January 5, so Stewart will have plenty of time to earn more minutes before then.
Detroit Pistons’ Star Shoulders Blame for Playoff Loss to New York Knicks