Detroit Pistons forward/center Isaiah Stewart recently suffered a Grade 1 left calf strain and will miss some time, the team announced Tuesday morning. Stewart is undergoing treatment and will miss at least the Pistons’ next four games.
Preparations are on to re-evaluate them in a week.
This means the Pistons will be without their defensive tackles on Tuesday and Thursday against the Washington Wizards, on Friday at home against the Golden State Warriors and on Monday, February 23 at home against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The good news for the Pistons is that it is not a significant injury, and Stewart should be able to return after resting and receiving treatment for a week or two, assuming he doesn’t suffer any setbacks in his recovery. Stewart is also the only key Pistons player to place himself on the injury report, leaving the team with options to replace his production.
However, the Pistons only have a 3.5-game lead over the Boston Celtics for the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference.
The race for the top spot in the East has suddenly become a major topic of discussion, with the Celtics adding back Jayson Tatum and winning seven of their last 10 games. On the other end, the Pistons have struggled recently, going just 3-5 in their last eight games, including a 119-108 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
With back-to-back games against the tanking Wizards, Detroit has a clear path to two wins in a row to try to steady the ship.
Unfortunately for the Pistons, this is an injury that has been bothering Stewart for quite some time. The big man has battled a calf issue all season, and head coach JB Bickerstaff recently alluded to it following his team’s loss on Sunday.
Bickerstaff said of Stewart, “It’s something he’s dealing with. It’s getting worse.” “He gutted it out in the last game and I think you could see he was favoring it late… It’s something we’ll take our time with.”
Although Detroit announced that Stewart will be reevaluated in a week, it is fair to assume they will keep him out longer to ensure he is 100 percent before the playoffs and the end of the regular season. After all, he is instrumental in the team’s defensive identity.
Without Stewart, Paul Reed, Ron Holland II, and Javonte Green will all have increased roles off the bench. Reed has now moved into the role of backup big man behind Jalen Duren in Stewart’s absence.
In 55 games this season, Stewart has averaged 10.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, while shooting 54.1 percent from the floor. Only he and Wizards big man Alex Sarr have recorded at least 90 blocks this season while playing less than 1,300 minutes.
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