Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey commended rookie Isaiah Stewart on Monday for the way he played and competed in his first official game in the NBA.
Stewart produced two points, eight rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes off the bench in the 128-120 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Of his eight total rebounds, five were on the offensive end, which were the most in a debut game since Jonas Valanciunas had six in 2012.
“I thought he played well,” Casey said after the game. “I thought he rebounded well. I thought he created spacing in the paint, in the lane. The young man plays so hard he wears himself out but that is why we brought him here. In fact, his intensity level is so high and once you get that reputation of playing that hard, you will get away with a lot in the league.”
Stewart made several hustle plays throughout his time on the court, something that the Pistons love out of him. The organization was largely impressed with his playmaking ability in college at Washington and is excited to have him this season.
“I thought he had a couple of ticky-tack fouls but I loved the way he competed,” Casey said. “That’s who he is. He brings that each and every night, that’s not just a one-night thing. He does that in practice, games and we gotta continue to have that. It sets the tone for us.”
Detroit enters the 2020-21 season in a rebuild with several other rookies on the roster, including Killian Hayes and Saddiq Bey. The team projects to have plenty of talent for the future and is certainly happy with what each player brings on a nightly basis.
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