Isaiah Stewart

Central Notes: Bickerstaff, Prigioni, Atkinson, Jones, Bucks Defense

March 31st, 2025 at 8:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Not only did five players get ejected for a brawl between the Pistons and Timberwolves on Sunday night, but Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Timberwolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni also got the boot.

It wasn’t a coincidence as the two coaches had a verbal altercation, according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski and Hunter Patterson.

“There was things said by their assistant coach and I’m in the same boat our guys are in,” Bickerstaff said. “We’re going to defend each other. I’m not going to let people say belligerent things about my guys. It’s that simple. He said what he said, he knows what he said.”

Prigioni reportedly made comments about Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart, who was one of the players ejected. Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo and Stewart had some verbal exchanges shortly before the brawl that spilled into the stands.

“From my understanding, he was trying to have a conversation with the referee about one of their players who’s kind of prone to these situations,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “And then their bench, J.B. in particular, had an issue with it, and they exchanged words.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson felt his team got a little complacent during the last couple of weeks. Atkinson let off some steam prior to their game against the Clippers on Sunday, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, and the team responded with a 127-122 victory. “There was a very (explicit) message with a lot of choice words from Kenny that got us fired up,” center Jarrett Allen said. Atkinson commented, “We needed to, maybe for psychological reasons, get this game and get it in a good manner.”
Tre Jones‘ return from a sprained left foot has apparently hit a roadblock. The Bulls guard was still experiencing pain and wearing a walking boot over the weekend, according to The Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley. Jones hasn’t played since March 20. After the injury occurred, the Bulls announced Jones would be out for at least two weeks.
The Bucks had an embarrassing outing against the Hawks on Sunday, allowing 82 first-half points and 145 overall. A familiar problem cropped up, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm writes. They were consistently broken down by dribble drives. “They had a simple game plan (Sunday). Spread the floor, catch it and just put your head down and force a drive. And we just could not keep the ball in front of us,” coach Doc Rivers said. “Is that scheme? Is that ability? I gotta watch (to see). I never fall on the old coaching (adage) ‘We didn’t play hard’ because I don’t believe that. But we didn’t play well defensively and we got beat off the dribble a lot. And that’s not good for us.”

Pistons-Timberwolves Altercation Leads To Seven Ejections

March 30th, 2025 at 7:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

A fight that spilled into the stands marred the Pistons–Timberwolves game on Sunday with five players, Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and a Minnesota assistant coach getting ejected.

The altercation occurred with 8:36 remaining in the second quarter. Timberwolves big man Naz Reid was driving to the basket and Pistons rookie forward Ron Holland tried to swipe at the ball. Holland was called for a foul and Reid immediately confronted Holland, pointing his finger at Holland. Minnesota guard Donte DiVincenzo also confronted and pushed Holland, leading to a scrum that spilled into the stands along the baseline.

All the players on the court headed toward the stands and members of both coaching staffs came out to try to separate the competitors. The officiating crew, with assistance from the league’s replay center, chose to eject Holland, Isaiah Stewart and Marcus Sasser from the Pistons side and DiVincenzo, Reid and assistant coach Pablo Prigioni from the Timberwolves, along with an incredulous Bickerstaff. Luke Walton took over as Detroit’s coach for the remainder of the contest.

A replay of the fight, posted by House of Highlights on Youtube, can be found here.

Tensions were heightened moments earlier when Stewart and Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert had an angry exchange.

Fines and potential suspensions are likely for both teams, who are battling for playoff position. The Pistons are fifth in the Eastern Conference and looking to move up one spot, which would give them home court advantage in the first round.

Minnesota entered the game tied for seventh place in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves are looking to move up at least one notch and avoid the play-in tournament.

Dunn, Ellis Among Impact Role Players Ineligible For All-Defense Consideration

March 17th, 2025 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of Tony Allen‘s jersey retirement ceremony in Memphis, John Hollinger of The Athletic revisits Allen’s six All-Defensive seasons for the Grizzlies and notes that the veteran guard wouldn’t have made All-Defense in five of those six years if the NBA’s current 65-game rule had been in place.

The 65-game rule doesn’t simply require players to appear in at least 65 games to earn end-of-season award consideration — it requires them to reach the 20-minute threshold in at least 63 games and to play 15 or more minutes in two others.

Allen came up short of 65 total games in three of his six All-Defensive seasons and had fewer than 63 games of 20-plus minutes in two additional seasons, despite making more than 65 appearances in each of those two years. His résumé isn’t unique among All-Defensive honorees. As Hollinger points out, the entire All-Defense second team in 2021/22 would have fallen short of the 65-game requirement.

With defensive standouts like Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis on track to play fewer than 65 games this season, there could be some spots on this year’s All-Defensive teams up for grabs for less obvious candidates. But a few of the league’s most impactful defensive role players are already ineligible for award consideration.

Hollinger singles out Clippers guard Kris Dunn as a prime example. Dunn leads the NBA in defensive box plus-minus and ranks second in the league in steal percentage, behind Dyson Daniels. He also ranks third among qualified players in deflections per 36 minutes and has been a driving force behind a Clippers defense that has the third-best defensive rating in the NBA.

Dunn has also played in 60 games this season, putting him on pace to exceed the 65-game minimum, but he has played 20-plus minutes in just 44 of those contests. With only 14 games left in the Clippers’ season, Dunn will fall short of the games-played requirement for award consideration, despite a strong case for All-Defense.

Kings guard Keon Ellis is in the same boat, Hollinger observes. Another player with high marks in categories like defensive box plus-minus, steal percentage, and deflections per 36 minutes, Ellis has appeared in 64 games but reached the 20-minute mark in only 41 of them, so he won’t reach the required minimum either.

Cason Wallace, one of the Thunder‘s best defenders, will need to play 20-plus minutes in 10 of the team’s final 14 games to qualify for award consideration. Rockets wing Amen Thompson, currently sidelined due to an ankle sprain, is still seven 20-minute games shy of the required minimum.

Pistons big man Jalen Duren recently argued that his frontcourt mate Isaiah Stewart deserves a spot on an All-Defensive team, and Fred Katz of The Athletic agreed. However, Stewart has long been ineligible for consideration — he has logged at least 20 minutes in just 24 of his 62 outings this season.

The 65-game rule currently only applies to certain awards. A player doesn’t have to meet the criteria in order to qualify for Rookie of the Year, an All-Rookie team, or Sixth Man of the Year.

In Hollinger’s view, All-Defense should get the same treatment, with the 65-game rule either relaxed or eliminated, since players who receive All-Defensive consideration often play much different roles than players who get votes for awards like MVP and All-NBA.

What do you think? Should the requirements of the 65-game rule apply for All-Defensive candidates? Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your two cents.

Pistons Notes: Thompson, Stewart, Ivey, Bickerstaff

March 15th, 2025 at 6:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons‘ defense had an off night in Thursday’s loss to Washington, so it was odd that Ausar Thompson didn’t get more playing time, writes Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. While Detroit was giving up 129 points to the worst team in the East, Thompson was limited to 19 minutes and saw just two seconds of action in the fourth quarter.

Patterson notes that Thompson was effective when he was on the court, finishing with 10 points, four rebounds, an assist and a block. He swatted away a three-point attempt by the Wizards’ 7’0″ rookie Alex Sarr.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff only took three questions after the loss and didn’t explain Thompson’s reduced playing time, Patterson adds. However, he did address it before Saturday’s game, telling reporters, “It was my decision down the stretch … nothing that he did. He’ll definitely get an opportunity to play more tonight.” (Twitter link from Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press)

There’s more from Detroit:

Following the embarrassing loss, several players talked about the need to stay focused every night, per Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News. They understand that each game is important as they try to move into fourth place and secure home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. “Pretty much everybody (spoke up). We knew we didn’t do our job tonight. We knew we didn’t handle business, so everybody was disappointed,” Isaiah Stewart said. “I would just say it’s a lesson for us. We want to hang our hat on playing Detroit basketball every night and being consistent with that. We just didn’t do that tonight, and hopefully, we learn from that.”
In a separate story, Jaden Ivey talks to Davis about the collision in a New Year’s Day game that resulted in his broken fibula. Orlando’s Cole Anthony made contact with Ivey’s left leg while diving for the ball, effectively ending Ivey’s season. The Pistons announced on Thursday that the next update on Ivey’s condition will be four weeks away. “I’ve watched the clip; it’s just a basketball play,” Ivey said. “You are diving on the floor and playing hard for your team; I get it. I am not too over the situation of how I got hurt. But I am just taking things day by day.”
Pistons players are crediting Bickerstaff’s increased expectations for helping them quickly develop into a successful team, Patterson adds in another story for The Athletic. Bickerstaff was brought in to turn things around after a 14-win season. “Obviously, we’ve had a lot of changes, from front office to different personnel and lineups,” Jalen Duren said. “But I think overall, I want to give credit to J.B. and what he’s brought to the team in terms of a seriousness and an approach to the game, if that makes sense. He kind of keeps us on track and lets us know how, since day one, we’re not just out here to do this. We’re trying to make some noise, we’re trying to become a better team and he’s carried that all season. He’s the guy who’s set the tone for the culture.”

Central Notes: Allen, Stewart, Bucks, Antetokounmpo

March 8th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Earnest Marshall

The midseason arrival of De’Andre Hunter to the Cavaliers altered center Jarrett Allen‘s role, but he has no problem with taking a step back for the greater good, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes. As Fedor observes, heading into Friday’s game against Charlotte, Allen wasn’t a part of recent closing lineups, with Hunter joining the other four starters.

“It’s not really difficult for me,” Allen said. “I trust Kenny [Atkinson] wholeheartedly. Sometimes I wish I was out there. Sometimes I understand why I’m not. At the end of the day, it’s not my job to decide. It’s my job to do the best I can whenever my number is called.”

That closing lineup changed a little in a close game with the Hornets on Friday, with the team in need of rim protection. Allen took over a closing role in place of Max Strus.

“They know they’ve got to earn it,” Atkinson said. “There’s earning it and then there’s matchups. We’ve had a discussion with the whole team. Whether it’s you’re in the rotation or not in the rotation, you might deserve to be in a rotation but you’re still not in the rotation because we’re so deep. You might finish the game, you might not. That’s just kind of how it is. That’s what it takes to get to that next level. That’s part of the sacrifice and chemistry thing we’ve got going on.”

Allen said he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win and is drawing tremendous reviews from his teammates for his consistency, confidence and leadership.

We have more from the Central Division:

Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Today (Twitter video link), Pistons center Jalen Duren complimented fellow big man Isaiah Stewart, arguing that his teammate deserves more recognition and should be on an All-Defensive team at the end of the season. Just one year after winning only 14 games, Detroit is in prime playoff position and is just two games back of the fourth-place Bucks. Over an impressive month-long stretch that has seen them win 10 of their past 12 games, the Pistons are allowing fewer points per possession than any other team, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic. Katz agrees with Duren’s sentiment that Stewart, averaging 1.4 blocks per game, should get an All-Defensive nod. Stewart is holding opponents a 46% shooting percentage on dunk and layup attempts, which is the best such number in the league in the last five years, Katz notes.
The Bucks have demonstrated a willingness to build around the duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard and their deadline moves are paying off, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “Hopefully, I think that it’s more about, ‘How do we make the top two guys their best selves?’” general manager Jon Horst said. “And, ‘How does everyone else play their role around them?’” The Bucks brought in Kyle Kuzma (15.2 PPG) and Kevin Porter Jr. (9.2 PPG), along with Jericho Sims (4.6 RPG) at the deadline.
Antetokounmpo became the sixth-youngest player to reach 20,000 career points on Wednesday, Jamal Collier of ESPN observes. “I always look back at myself, and I don’t want to say I get emotional, but it’s a good feeling,” the Bucks star said. “I’m proud of the journey, but I have so much more to give.“

Isaiah Stewart Suspended, Fined

January 31st, 2025 at 11:26am CST by Arthur Hill

Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart has received a one-game suspension for accumulating six flagrant foul points, the NBA announced (via Twitter). He will serve the suspension during Friday’s home game against Dallas.

The release from the league notes that Stewart had four flagrant foul points heading into Wednesday’s contest at Indiana. He was ejected for a Flagrant 2 midway through the second quarter for shoving Pacers center Thomas Bryant (Twitter video link), adding two points to his total and triggering the automatic suspension.

Stewart was also fined $50K for making “inappropriate and objectionable gestures” after being tossed out of the game.

The incident will cost Stewart $86,207 in salary, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN, bringing his total loss to more than $136K with the fine included.

The league’s system imposes an automatic two-game suspension for any player with five or more points who commits another Flagrant 2, so Stewart could be in danger of missing more time later in the season.

Central Notes: Siakam, Bickerstaff, Horton-Tucker, White, Garland

January 30th, 2025 at 9:36am CST by Dana Gauruder

Pascal Siakam enhanced his case for All-Star consideration with a 37-point performance against the Pistons on Wednesday. The Pacers forward is averaging 20.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Siakam has been selected to the All-Star Game twice during his career. The reserves will be revealed during a TNT broadcast tonight.

“He’s unbelievable,” point guard Tyrese Haliburton told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “In the mid-range, he’s really tough to guard. Ever since he’s got here, that low post and mid post has been one of the most efficient shots in basketball. Keep feeding him, he gets the ball in the right spots. We played a lot of two-man game today. He just stayed with the ball and that allowed me to get him the ball and get him open shots.”

We have more from the Central Division:

The Pistons‘ 133-119 loss to Indiana was their third straight after starting out a five-game road trip with a pair of victories. Things got heated, as Isaiah Stewart was ejected for a flagrant foul, while coach J.B. Bickerstaff and a couple of players picked up technicals. It’s perhaps a signal that the old Detroit-Indiana rivalry has restarted. “Our guys care and compete at a high level,” Bickerstaff said. “There is no opponent that we are going to shy away from. We are going to be who we are. We are going to earn the respect of this league, whoever it is. Everybody is going to respect the Pistons and the way we compete.”
Talen Horton-Tucker suffered a left shin injury during the Bulls loss to Boston on Wednesday, the team tweets. On the flip side, Coby White returned from a four-game absence due to a bone bruise in his left ankle. He started and played 31 minutes, contributing 16 points, Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune notes.
The Cavaliers rested Darius Garland and had only 10 players in uniform for their game against Miami on Wednesday, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). It didn’t matter, as they never trailed in a 126-106 romp that featured a 34-point outing from Donovan Mitchell.

Pistons Notes: Beasley, Ivey, Hypothetical Trades, Duren, Stewart

January 28th, 2025 at 9:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Malik Beasley has proven to be one of last summer’s biggest bargains. He signed a one-year, $6MM deal with the Pistons and has averaged 16.3 points per game, mostly off the bench.

Beasley told Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto that he’s had discussions with head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon about staying in Detroit beyond this season. He’s also aware he could be a trade target for a serious contender.

“Me and Trajan have been talking a lot. We’re trying to figure out what’s going to happen,” he said. “I still have to get through this trade deadline. There are some championship teams that want me, but I told Trajan I like where I’m at. He told me about the impact I’ve brought. Hopefully, he agrees. He also told me it’s a business. If a championship team comes with a crazy deal, the business is the business. We’re just waiting for the deadline to go through. After that, I think we’ll start talking about if maybe we can put something together.”

The Pistons will hold Beasley’s Non-Bird rights, which will limit them to offering a starting salary up to $7.2MM if they don’t use cap room or another form of cap exception.

We have more on the Pistons:

The lack of a secondary creator with Jaden Ivey sidelined has become increasingly apparent, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic writes. The Pistons have become even more reliant on Cade Cunningham to make plays and score with Ivey on the mend from a broken fibula. The team’s 110-91 loss to Cleveland on Monday was a good example, as Detroit scored a season low in points. “We miss (Ivey), there’s no doubt about it,” Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He’s extremely important to us, what we do and how we got to where we are now.” The front office will have to decide by next Thursday’s trade deadline whether to make a move to address the problem.
Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press lays out three hypothetical multi-team trades to illustrate various ways in which the Pistons could take advantage of their cap room ahead of next Thursday’s trade deadline. Detroit lands Jonathan Kuminga, Haywood Highsmith, and draft assets in one of Sankofa’s proposals, Bobby Portis in another, and Marcus Smart and a first-round pick in the third.
The Pistons have been one of the league’s top defensive units this month and Bickerstaff praises centers Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart for their commitment at that end, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. “They are the anchor of our defense. They are the most important piece of our defense and that’s something you have to embrace,” Bickerstaff said. “Because it’s not easy. There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with it. You’re the guy who has to clean up everybody else’s messes, who has to communicate the most, has to win in the trenches more than anybody else, has to do multiple things on every single possession. And then you have to challenge shots and get rebounds. There’s a ton of pressure we put on them on the defensive end of the floor and they’ve both embraced it.”

Knicks Notes: Shamet, Towns, Brunson, Robinson

December 29th, 2024 at 11:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Now that he’s back with the Knicks, Landry Shamet talked to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post about the injury that nearly cost him his latest NBA opportunity. Shamet was on his way to earning a roster spot in October when he dislocated his shoulder four days before the final cuts had to be made. Because his contract wasn’t guaranteed, the team let him go to give him time to heal, then re-signed him last week.

“There’s stretches in the first week where it’s just really acute and I can’t even lift my arm to wash under my arms or brush my teeth,” Shamet said. “There’s periods of time where you’re like, ‘God,’ And that’s what I talk about with the mental piece. Not only are you dealing with injury, rehabbing something you’ve never dealt with before, but now you’re away from your teams, kind of out of rhythm. So that part could be challenging. And there were days for sure where it was pretty bleak. Like, ‘Groundhog Day.’ Like, ‘Ahh, we’re still here. It still hurts.’ But then you had days where there were big jumps and you’re like, ‘OK.’ So both feelings were prevalent.”

Shamet could have opted for surgery, but after consulting with doctors he chose to let the shoulder heal naturally so he could resume playing more quickly. Bondy notes that the non-surgical path was a risky option, and it didn’t work for Julius Randle when he suffered a similar injury last season.

Shamet has seen his playing time gradually increase in his three games since returning, and he appears headed for a place in the rotation after posting seven points and two steals in 10 minutes Friday night. Shamet provides another veteran at the wing who can help reduce the burden on the starting lineup.

There’s more from New York:

Karl-Anthony Towns has been a tremendous addition for the Knicks, but he hasn’t been able to shake the foul problems that often plagued him in Minnesota, Bondy notes in a separate story. Coach Tom Thibodeau wants Towns to be more focused about avoiding unnecessary fouls that can force him to come out of games. “There’s good aggressive fouls and there’s fouls that are obviously cheap that you have to clean up,” Thibodeau said. “I think that’s the important thing for him to understand — the difference between the two and how it’s being called.”
Jalen Brunson heard some “MVP” chants Saturday night at Washington as he scored 55 points in an overtime victory, per Steve Popper of Newsday. It was Brunson’s third 50-point game since joining the Knicks, which ties him for second in franchise history. “We needed it,” Josh Hart said. “This one was a tough one for us. Back-to-back. I felt a little old today. So a lot of us felt the same way. We were a little slow. But he made big shots. That’s why he’s the captain. Find a way to win.”
It looks like Mitchell Robinson will be sidelined until at least late January, so it could be hard to trade him by the February 6 deadline, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic states in a mailbag column. Edwards expects the Knicks to look for another center on the trade market, and he suggests that Isaiah Stewart would fit well with the current roster if the Pistons would accept Robinson and Precious Achiuwa in return.

Injury Notes: Lillard, B. Brown, Poeltl, Stewart, M. Robinson

December 28th, 2024 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Damian Lillard, who has missed the Bucks‘ past four games due to a calf issue and an illness, will return to action on Saturday against Chicago, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (via Twitter).

Speaking to reporters after today’s shootaround, Lillard explained that the calf injury, which caused him to miss games last Friday and Saturday, was a “mild” strain and that the illness which sidelined him on Monday and Thursday hit him much harder, as Eric Nehm of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).

“I’ve never been that sick before in my entire life,” Lillard said. “I wasn’t throwing up, nothing. I just didn’t eat for two days. I didn’t eat at all. I didn’t get up, nothing. I was down. It was bad. Couple days ago, I tried to work out – the night before (Thursday’s) Brooklyn game, because I wanted to play against Brooklyn – but I mean, the whole time I was working out, it just kept making me cough, coughing up s–t. I got through the workout, but I couldn’t breathe good.

“… I lost a couple pounds. I mean, if you don’t eat for two days. And I was just trying to at least stay hydrated. … (But) I didn’t have no food in me, it was just all liquid, so obviously I dropped some weight.”

Here are a few more health updates from around the NBA:

Raptors swingman Bruce Brown, who has been sidelined for the entire season while recovering from a knee procedure, is listed as questionable to make his season debut on Sunday vs. Atlanta, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Starting center Jakob Poeltl, out since December 16 due to a bilateral groin strain, is among several other Toronto players who are questionable to play on Sunday, Lewenberg notes.
Pistons center Isaiah Stewart is probable to suit up on Saturday vs. Denver after missing the team’s past four games due to a hyperextended left knee, tweets Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Before getting injured in his 27th game of the season on Dec. 16, Stewart had appeared in each of Detroit’s first 26 contests, averaging 22.0 minutes per night.
Although Mitchell Robinson still hasn’t been cleared for practice or even started sprinting at full speed, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is encouraged by the center’s rehab progress as he makes his way back from offseason ankle surgery, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “There’s still some benchmarks that he has to get through, but he’s done a terrific job,” Thibodeau said on Friday in Orlando. “He’s light, he’s lean, he’s worked extremely hard. So we just want to make sure we’re patient and let him work his way through it.” According to Thibodeau, the next phase for Robinson is full-speed running — after that, he’ll be cleared for practice and contact. However, the exact timeline for those steps is still unclear.

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