The Detroit Pistons have been fairly healthy for much of the season, which is one reason they remain on top of the Eastern Conference. There are some players who have had long-term issues, and one of them is Isaiah Stewart, as he has been dealing with a calf injury.
Head coach JB Bickerstaff recently spoke about Stewart's injury, which has been bothering him for some time.
"It's something he's dealing with. It's getting worse. He destroyed it in the last game and I think you could see he was favoring it late ... It's something we're going to take time with," Bickerstaff said, via Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.
It is uncertain how long Stewart may be sidelined, but the expectation is that it won't be for long. If that's the case, the Pistons will have to rely on their depth to overcome his absence, and that means Jalen Duren may also see an increase in minutes.
It's safe to say that Stewart has been the enforcer for the Pistons ever since he's been on the team, and he's willing to protect his team by any means necessary. He recently opened up about where he gets his mentality to hit the floor.
"I'll just say I'm very competitive and I look at the court like we're going to war," Stewart said on The Young Man and The Three podcast. "I know the other team is trying to get our heads down. So, it's like an upset, like I've got something to defend. I'm just proud. I'm not going to lie down and give you an easy game.
"It shows that they don't know me, and just in a moment they start judging me. I've had a lot of different teammates that I've competed against that didn't like me, then they come to Detroit, it's just like a threat, Stu is different. It's great to have him as a teammate as a brother."
