Isaiah Stewart Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Mathurin, Cunningham, Bickerstaff, Potter

January 4th, 2026 at 9:56pm CST by Eli Cohen

Bennedict Mathurin is expected to miss some time for the Pacers as he works to come back from a right thumb sprain and turf toe, writes Scott Agness of the Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link).

“When we’re down numbers, it becomes more challenging, but we’ve gotten some guys back,” said coach Rick Carlisle before Sunday’s game. “But now Mathurin’s out for a while.”

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports (via Twitter) that Mathurin has been trying to play through the thumb sprain for multiple weeks, but that he needs some time to heal.

Mathurin is averaging a career-high 17.8 points per game for the depleted Pacers, but his numbers have dipped since mid-December, likely in part due to the injury. Over his last 11 games, he’s averaging 13.5 points on .369/.271/.973 shooting splits.

There was no immediate timeline given for his return.

We have more from the Central Division:

Cade Cunningham is playing the best basketball of his career and leading the Pistons to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. One person he credits for helping him take a leap as a player and leader is assistant coach and longtime veteran Jarrett Jack, writes Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. Sankofa writes that upon joining the staff of former head coach Monty Williams, Williams attached Jack to the star point guard. The two do one-on-one work, pregame warmups, and talk on the bench during games together. “He’s always making jokes, always being funny, talking about he could’ve did this or I ain’t that, whatever,” Cunningham said. “It’s cool, man. He just knows how to read the room. That’s the type of stuff that allows the culture to be what it is, people like that. He’s one of the main ones that’s helped build this culture that we got.”
There were added stakes for the Pistons as they got their first road win against the Cavaliers since coach J.B. Bickerstaff came to Detroit from Cleveland, writes Hunter Patterson of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I feel like we’ve got to have his back coming into here, because I know they get up to play against J.B. every single time,” said Isaiah Stewart, who started in the place of the injured Jalen Duren and contributed three blocks and two steals in the four-point victory. “So it was important for us to get this win tonight.” Coming into today’s game, the Cavaliers were 4-1 against their old coach.
Micah Potter went from freshly-signed to starting Pacers center in about a week. It’s been a whirlwind, but his previous experience with Team USA has helped him find ways to fit in and be productive, writes Dustin Dopirak of the Indy Star. “The confidence it gave me was like, I belong, right?” Potter said. “I’m not saying I’m going to be a Kevin Durant, a LeBron James, a Tyrese Haliburton, a Steph Curry. I’m not going to be those guys, but I can help those guys. I can find a role to create for those guys whether I’m scoring or not. And that was the thing that gave me the most confidence, and I also hit a couple of shots which was really cool too.” Potter’s first start came on Friday in a loss to the Spurs. He scored 16 points on 4-of-8 from three with six rebounds. On Sunday’s matchup against the Magic, he had 11 points and 10 rebounds in just over 29 minutes. “Just try to do my job as best I can,” he said. “Create for my teammates, whether that’s passing, shooting open shots, setting good screens, anything like that. Just trying to create space for my teammates and play off that.”

Pistons Share Injury Updates On Harris, Duren, LeVert

January 3rd, 2026 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have issued updates on a trio of injured players, making the following announcements on Saturday (Twitter link):

Forward Tobias Harris has been diagnosed with a left hip sprain and will be reevaluated in two weeks.
Center Jalen Duren has a sprained right ankle and will be reevaluated in one week.
Guard/forward Caris LeVert remains day-to-day due to right knee inflammation, but won’t travel to Cleveland for Sunday’s game vs. the Cavaliers as he continues to receive treatment.

The timeline for Harris, who already missed Thursday’s contest against Miami, suggests he’ll remain sidelined for a minimum of five more games, starting with intra-conference showdowns against the Cavs on Sunday and the Knicks on Monday. His absence may extend beyond that five-game stretch, since there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready to return when he’s evaluated on January 17.

Harris, 33, has been a full-time starter since arriving in Detroit as a free agent during the 2024 offseason. In 23 games this season, he’s averaging 13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 27.4 minutes per night, with a .455/.333/.848 shooting line. Due to his expiring $26.6MM contract, the 15th-year forward is considered a potential in-season trade candidate.

While Harris’ recovery period may last longer, Duren’s absence figures to have a greater impact on the Pistons’ lineup in the short term. The 22-year-old is enjoying a breakout season ahead of his restricted free agency in 2026, with averages of 17.9 PPG and 10.6 RPG through his first 31 games (28.4 MPG).

Reigning Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month Isaiah Stewart will likely take on a larger role with Duren out, and Paul Reed is a capable backup too. But Detroit has been much better with Duren on the court (+8.9 net rating) than off it (+2.4) so far this season.

Javonte Green, Jaden Ivey, and Marcus Sasser are a few of the other players who figure to see minute bumps while the Pistons’ injured players get healthy.

Holmgren, Stewart Named Defensive Players Of The Month

January 2nd, 2026 at 1:51pm CST by Luke Adams

A Thunder player has been named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for a second consecutive time. After guard Cason Wallace won the award for October/November, big man Chet Holmgren has earned the honor for December, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

The Thunder, who entered December with a 20-1 record, have looked more mortal in recent weeks, winning nine of 13 games over the course of the month. However, they still posted the conference’s top defensive rating (106.2) in December, with Holmgren acting as the team’s anchor and rim protector.

Holmgren’s 2.0 blocks per game in December ranked second in the conference, while his 8.5 contested shots per game placed him seventh among Western players. Oklahoma City’s defense this past month was nearly six points per 100 possessions better when Holmgren was on the court (101.7) than when he wasn’t (107.6).

Clippers guard Kris Dunn and a trio of former Defensive Players of the Year – Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves), Draymond Green (Warriors), and Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies) – were also nominated in the Western Conference, per the league (Twitter link).

An unlikely winner claimed the Eastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month award for December, with Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart taking it home despite coming off the bench in 12 of his 13 games and averaging just 23.0 minutes per night during the past month.

Despite his limited role, Stewart ranked second in the East in blocks (2.2) and contested shots (9.4) per game, helping lead Detroit to a 9-4 record and the league’s third-best defensive rating (109.8) in December. The Pistons’ defensive rating with Stewart on the floor was 104.5, compared to 112.2 when he sat.

Knicks teammates OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, and Celtics guard Derrick White were the other nominees in the East. Notably, the Nets didn’t have a nominee despite posting the NBA’s best defensive rating (105.4) in December.

Central Notes: Stewart, Antetokounmpo, Pacers, Cavaliers

December 7th, 2025 at 6:05pm CST by Eli Cohen

Isaiah Stewart has become an elite defender off the bench for the Pistons over the last few years, and his teammates and coaching staff are making sure people know it.

“He’s the best defensive center in the league and it’s not close,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). “And I think it’s time that everybody who watches basketball recognizes it.”

Pistons star Cade Cunningham disagreed slightly with his coach’s assessment — but only because he felt Bickerstaff didn’t go far enough with his praise.

“I think he’s the best defensive player in the league,” Cunningham said, according to Sankofa (Twitter video link). “I would love to see him get a Defensive Player of the Year award, ’cause I think he deserves it. I see the best defenders in the league all the time, and I’m thankful I don’t have to see Stew.”

Stewart is currently averaging 2.0 blocks in just 22.5 minutes per night, and has five games with at least four blocks this season.

“There will never be a shot that goes up that Stew doesn’t contest,” Ausar Thompson said, per Sankofa (Twitter link). “He puts his body on the line every night. It’s beautiful to watch.”

One thing holding Stewart back in award discussions is the league-imposed minutes restriction. A player must play 20 or more minutes in at least 63 games and 15-plus in at least two more to be eligible for awards like MVP or Defensive Player of the Year. Stewart has missed three games already and has played fewer than 20 minutes in six more.

We have more from around the Central Division:

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the hottest name in the rumor mill these days, but he recently took to the media to state his desire to stay with the Bucks. “There are people who see a door, who want to hurry up and escape through that door,” Antetokounmpo told NBA on Prime’s Chris Haynes (Twitter video link). “I see a wall and I want to run through the wall and make things work.” Haynes adds that the two-time MVP says his only focus is getting healthy and being there for his team. Kurt Helin of NBC Sports writes that there’s no doubt Antetokounmpo wants to make things work with the Bucks, and speculates that any trade involving him may not happen until at least the offseason.
The Pacers got a sorely-needed road win on Friday against the Bulls, Dustin Dopirak writes for the Indy Star. Head coach Rick Carlisle is aware of the talent deficiency the team is facing on most nights and how it limits them. “A lot of elements right now have to be in place for us to be an effective road team against a team like Chicago,” Carlisle said. The effort was led by Pascal Siakam, who had 36 points and 10 rebounds while hitting five three-pointers. After starting 2-16, Indiana has won three of its past five games.
The Cavaliers were booed at home during Saturday night’s loss to the undermanned Warriors, Chris Fedor writes for Cleveland.com. It was the team’s fifth loss in seven games. “Can’t keep getting in this position,” Donovan Mitchell said.
“Shouldn’t come down to it. All due respect and credit to them, but the consistent thing is we get down and then we start playing. There’s no switch to flip. Until there’s a change in that, we’re going to keep being in these positions where sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t, and we have to fix it.” Head coach Kenny Atkinson agreed with his star’s assessment, adding, “We need a reset right now to rest our bodies and get our principles. You always take lessons from struggles.”

Scottie Barnes, Cason Wallace Named Defensive Players Of The Month

December 2nd, 2025 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes is the Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for October/November, while Thunder guard Cason Wallace won the award for the Western Conference, according to an announcement from the NBA (Twitter link).

Barnes led the surprising Raptors to a 14-7 record through the end of November, and the team posted the NBA’s sixth-best defensive rating (111.5) during that time. According to the league, the versatile 6’8″ forward ranked fourth in the East in deflections in October/November (4.0 per game) and was the only player in the NBA to rack up at least 30 steals and 30 blocks.

Wallace, meanwhile, is one of many standout defenders on a dominant Thunder team that went 20-1 with a remarkable 103.6 defensive rating in October/November. Oklahoma City was three-and-a-half games better than any other NBA club during that time, and its defensive rating was nearly seven points per 100 possessions better than that of the second-place Rockets (110.3).

While the Thunder’s defensive performance is a team effort, Wallace led the NBA in steals per game (2.2) to open the season and also had more deflections per game (5.0) than any other player in the West, despite playing a relatively modest 28.6 minutes per contest.

It’s the first time that either Barnes or Wallace has won the Defensive Player of the Month award, which was introduced at the start of last season. According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other players nominated in the East were Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, and Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart — Mobley and Daniels each earned Defensive Player of the Month recognition twice last season.

In the West, Wallace’s Thunder teammates Luguentz Dort and Chet Holmgren were also nominated. Rockets guard Amen Thompson was the only non-OKC nominee in the conference.

Central Notes: Nesmith, Walker, Terry, Pistons

November 14th, 2025 at 7:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Aaron Nesmith had to crawl off the court in Thursday’s loss at Phoenix, but the Pacers are hopeful that his injury won’t keep him out for long, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Nesmith was getting into a defensive stance in the third quarter when his left foot bent the wrong way (Twitter video link). He was helped to the locker room, and the team announced that he wouldn’t return due to knee soreness.

Nesmith was limping and appeared to have an ice bag on the knee as he left the arena, but he wasn’t using crutches, Dopirak observes. Coach Rick Carlisle was optimistic that it isn’t something severe like a ligament tear.

“Hoping that Aaron’s situation is not very serious,” he said. “At this point, it looks like we may have dodged a bullet in terms of something that is very serious. But he will miss some time.”

Losing Nesmith would add to a catastrophic run of injuries for the defending Eastern Conference champions that began with Tyrese Haliburton‘s Achilles tear in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Seven players were sidelined heading into Thursday’s game, which Indiana lost by 35 points to fall to 1-11.

Nesmith would be a major loss if he has to miss any significant time. Dopirak points out that he’s handling an increased offensive load for the short-handed team in addition to being its most versatile defender.

“It hurts,” Carlisle said. “He’s a top player on this team. It hurt us out there tonight and it’s going to affect us.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Another rough shooting night for Jarace Walker brought his field goal percentage down to 29.7% for the season, Dopirak tweets. The third-year power forward missed all 10 of his shots in Phoenix after going 1-of-8 in the previous game at Utah. He was removed from the Pacers‘ starting lineup on Tuesday after starting seven straight games.
Bulls guard Dalen Terry isn’t getting the playing time he had hoped for, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Terry, who will be a restricted free agent after not receiving a rookie scale extension, has appeared in seven of the team’s 11 games, but is averaging just 5.9 minutes per night. “I feel like it’s been a situation I’ve been in my whole life, to be honest with you,” he said. “With this being a contract year and things not starting like you want them to, guys can go into a dark place. But I just look at it like, ‘Man, it’s just basketball, and we’re winning right now.’ So my feelings aren’t really the priority.”
The 10-2 Pistons are off to the best start in the East, but they have a lengthy injury report for Friday’s NBA Cup game against Philadelphia, notes Hunter Patterson of the Athletic (Twitter links). Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart are all listed as questionable, while Ausar Thompson and Tobias Harris are out.

Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Injuries, Harris, Jenkins, Green

November 11th, 2025 at 8:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cade Cunningham, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, scored a career-high 46 points in the Pistons’ wild 137-135 overtime win over the Wizards on Tuesday. With a handful of regulars sitting out, Cunningham attempted 45 field goals and made 14. He went 16-of-18 from the foul line.

Cunningham also recorded his first triple-double of the season — he contributed 11 assists, 12 rebounds, five steals and two blocks, becoming the first player in NBA history with those numbers in a single game since the league began tracking steals and blocks in 1973/74, according to the team’s PR department (Twitter link).

Cunningham also took a hard fall in the fourth quarter when he was fouled by Wizards forward Cam Whitmore but he stayed in the game, which was the Pistons’ seventh straight win.

“I didn’t like the way that it happened,” Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Whitmore’s foul, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “When you take a guy out of the air like that, you don’t walk up on him. I thought (the officials) could have done a better job of controlling that situation. … It shows the courage of Cade, the resilience of Cade, the want to not let his teammates down. He could’ve stayed in the back, very easily, with what he was going through. But he didn’t want to give up. He wanted to continue to fight even when we were down, and he led us to the victory.”

Here’s more on the Pistons:

Detroit played without Ausar Thompson (right ankle), Tobias Harris (right ankle), Jaden Ivey (right knee), Isaiah Stewart (left ankle), Caris LeVert (left knee) and Marcus Sasser (right hip). Harris has missed five consecutive games. “It’s a high ankle sprain and he’s progressing,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s just those things that take a little longer than you would like, but he’s progressing day to day. We’re hopeful he’ll be back soon.” Harris and Thompson are listed as out against Chicago on Wednesday, while Stewart is doubtful, Patterson tweets.
Two-way player Daniss Jenkins logged 34 minutes and finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three assists in what was just his 13th career NBA game. Jenkins sent the game into overtime on a corner three-pointer in the final second of regulation. “You dream of stuff like this,” Jenkins told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “To come out and really hit that type of shot, I didn’t know what to do. I was just filled with a lot of joy and excitement and just congratulating myself, staying true to the journey, staying true to everything. I have to practice what I preach. This life is a marathon, everything is a marathon. My journey is a marathon.”
Due to the injuries, Javonte Green made his first start with the Pistons, notching his first double-double of the season and second of his career with 11 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in 38 minutes. Detroit signed Green, who played for New Orleans and Cleveland last season, to a one-year, partially guaranteed deal in the summer. “He blocked [two] threes, which is hard to do…Again, It’s top to bottom. These guys care about winning, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to win. [Green] knows who he is and understands how he impacts winning,” Bickerstaff said.

Pistons Notes: Duren, Cunningham, Stewart, Klintman, Jones

November 8th, 2025 at 8:25am CST by Dana Gauruder

Jalen Duren‘s impressive start continued on Friday, as the Pistons center dominated inside with 30 points, 11 rebounds and three steals in a victory over the Nets. He’s now averaging 19.2 points and 11.3 rebounds per game.

“We’ve put together a plan over the summer for him and he was as dedicated to that plan as anybody,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “He worked relentlessly on his game. He’s always had the talent. I think the confidence is coming now, too, so he can see what he can do against other guys. You watch how much more aggressive he is offensively with the ball in his hands. I think last year it was a lot of him getting set up. We wanted him to attack more. We want him to try to create for himself more, put more pressure on the defense. I think he’s done that. It all comes down to the work that he’s put in.”

Duren will be one of the top restricted free agents on the market next summer. The Pistons were unable to sign the fourth-year big man to a rookie scale extension prior to last month’s deadline.

“He’s dominant,” Cade Cunningham said. “He’s not waiting. He’s attacking every game. Really can’t enough be said about how he’s approached the game lately and he has all the ability in the world to do what he’s been doing. It’s exciting.”

Here’s more on the Pistons:

Cunningham supplied 34 points and 10 assists against Brooklyn. Duren and Cunningham became the first Pistons teammates with 30-plus point double-doubles in the same game since Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond did it on Dec. 18, 2015 against Chicago, the team’s PR department tweets.
Isaiah Stewart departed in the second quarter after he rolled his left ankle. The Pistons were already without starting forward Tobias Harris, who has missed the last three games with an ankle injury. That opened up an opportunity for 2024 second-round pick Bobi Klintman, Sankofa notes. In his second appearance this season, Klintman scored two points, grabbed four rebounds and added an assist in 12 minutes.
The Pistons claimed big man Isaac Jones off waivers from the Kings on Thursday. Bickerstaff believes Jones’ style will fit right in with the team’s identity, Sankofa tweets. “There’s an energy. He has a similar spirit to the group of bigs that we have already,” the coach said. “He’s a fighter, he’s a scrapper, his interior skills. He just gives us a boost there.”

Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Stewart, Harris, Duren, Fast Start

November 6th, 2025 at 10:57am CST by Dana Gauruder

Cade Cunningham has been a fourth-quarter dynamo during the Pistons’ 6-2 start. The star guard has racked up 86 fourth-quarter points, tops in the league. He has scored 19 points in each of the last two games in the final 12 minutes, including a 114-103 victory over Utah on Wednesday.

“We’re just now turning the corner as far as just not being losers,” Cunningham said, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “We were losers for a little stint in the NBA. But we all have winning habits, winning mentalities. We’re just starting to get our feet wet as far as learning winning basketball.”

Cunningham continues to impress second-year Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

“He’s phenomenal,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s an unbelievable player, unbelievable person. Great teammate, great leader. Everything you want in a No. 1 guy, Cade is it.”

We have more on the Pistons:

Move over, Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. In Bickerstaff’s assessment, Isaiah Stewart is the league’s premier rim protector. Stewart is averaging a career-best 2.4 blocks per game so far this season. “He’s the best rim protector in the league. His timing, anticipation, always being early to the spot,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s a fearlessness, right? Where a lot of people would just get out of the way because they don’t want to get dunked on anymore, Isaiah doesn’t mind. He’s going to go up there and he’s going to challenge anybody because it’s the right thing to do. And that’s his responsibility for this team – protect the rim. It doesn’t matter to him the outcome, because he’s going to get more times than he’s been got.”
Starting forward Tobias Harris sat out for the second straight time due to an ankle injury but he should return soon. “He’s getting better. The ankle is one of those things that it’s ‘how is it today?’ – you do more and see how it responds tomorrow,” Bickerstaff said. “But Tobias has been, throughout his career, one of the more durable and reliable players who doesn’t miss a ton of time. So, we don’t expect [him to miss significant time], but again, we’ll always do what’s right by him and make sure he’s healthy.”
Jalen Duren had a monster game against the Jazz with 22 points and 22 rebounds. “I’ve had conversations with J.B., multiple conversations throughout the summer, coming into the season on how he’s seen me work on my game in the summer, how he wants me to continue to be aggressive and kind of show what I’ve been working on,” he said. “With that came a lot of confidence. My teammates, too, telling me to keep attacking bigs and whoever opposing teams decide to put on me. I’m just trying to do what they tell me to do.”
There’s plenty to like about the Pistons’ quick start, Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois writes, and they should be even better down the road. Langlois notes that newcomers Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert are still trying to settle into their roles, while guards Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser will provide even more firepower when they return from injuries.

Pistons Notes: Duren, LeVert, Thompson, Stewart

November 3rd, 2025 at 2:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons center Jalen Duren didn’t come to a rookie scale extension agreement with the front office prior to last month’s deadline, which means he’ll be a restricted free agent after the season. Duren has pumped up his value in the early going, including a career high 33-point outing in Mexico City on Saturday against Dallas.

He shot 13-of-16 from the field and added 10 rebounds, two assists and a block vs. the Mavericks and is now averaging 17.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest.

“I mean, he’s such a beast. He makes me look good,” Cade Cunningham said of Duren, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “He makes my job easy.”

“Domination,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff added. “He was phenomenal at putting pressure on the rim. He ran the floor; he scored in a bunch of different ways. (He was) working the offensive boards. He dominated the interior.”

Here’s more on the Pistons:

Caris LeVert is still trying to get into a groove after missing most of the preseason due to a hamstring injury. LeVert, who signed a two-year contract as a free agent during the summer, has only averaged 5.7 points in 18.3 minutes while appearing in three of the team’s six games. However, Bickerstaff is enthusiastic about the veteran’s potential impact going forward. “He takes a lot of pressure off me. It’s more about the type of person Caris is,” the coach said, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “Because he’s always been so adaptable, it makes it easier on me to kind of put him in a place and he can fit any place we decide to put him and he’s the type of guy who doesn’t take away from others’ growth and development. He just wants to compete and play with his teammates.”
In a post on ThePlayersTribune.com, Ausar Thompson discusses his first two seasons in the league. Blood clotting issues marred his rookie season and his offseason routine last summer but he was able to come into this season without any restrictions. “It was my first full healthy offseason, so I put in a lot of work this summer. I felt a lot more freedom,” he wrote. “I could go harder. And I got to sharpen my mentality, just thinking about how I want to feel after games. Basically, I always want to feel like I gave it my all. Like I didn’t hold anything back and was aggressive every chance I got. I have even more drive as a player, now. I want to take it further.”
Rim protection has been a key to the Pistons’ 4-2 start entering Monday’s contest at Memphis. They lead the NBA with 7.0 blocks per game and Isaiah Stewart is tied for fourth in the league with 12 blocks. Stewart is sixth in the NBA with 47 contested two-point shot attempts and second with opponents shooting just 41.7% at the rim against him, according to the team’s PR staff.