The Detroit Pistons needed a boost for Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls.
After Monday’s game on the road against the New York Knicks ended on a frustrating note, the Pistons were happy to be able to finally activate their veteran front-court standout, Isaiah Stewart.
Since January 31, the Pistons have been competing without Stewart. After he checked in for a 25-minute shift against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Stewart suffered an ankle injury, which was guaranteed to take him off the court for multiple weeks.
As a result, Stewart missed eight games in a row. As the Pistons approached their final matchup before the NBA All-Star break, the team made it known that Stewart was on pace to ramp up and return once they hit the road to face the Indiana Pacers.
On the eve of Detroit’s first game back, Stewart practiced in full with his teammates. Heading into the Pacers matchup, he was upgraded to questionable. Before the Pistons could make a call on Stewart’s playing status, the NBA hit him with a suspension, making the decision for them.
Due to the altercation that Stewart had with Phoenix Suns veteran Drew Eubanks, which turned physical, the Pistons forward found himself as the focal point of an NBA investigation. It resulted in a three-game suspension.
A planned eight-game absence turned into 11. Fortunately, Stewart managed to make his return in Chicago on Tuesday night, which gave the Pistons a much-needed boost.
“It was a huge deal for us,” Pistons head coach Monty Williams told reporters regarding Stewart’s return. “I thought it settled the rotation. We got to see Tech with the second unit and just let him come in the game and just fire. Do what he does. We’re really happy about this kind of win. We want every win we can, but we’re really happy about this kind.”
Stewart picked up his starting role, which moved the newly acquired Simone Fontecchio to the bench for the second time since he joined the Pistons. In 21 minutes of action, Fontecchio knocked down half of his shots for 17 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, Isaiah Stewart offered the starting five the type of all-around contributions that Cade Cunningham and the rest of the squad are grateful for.
“He brings so much to us that doesn’t always show up on the box score,” Cunningham told reporters. “His toughness and the way he goes about rebounding the ball. The way that he talks to us. He’s just the ultimate glue guy. He’s somebody you want to play hard for because you know he’ll run through a wall for you. It’s great to have him back, and I think he was huge tonight. It doesn’t show up on the box score, but he does a lot of things that really helped us.”
Stewart saw the court for 34 minutes on Tuesday. He attempted nine shots, making four field goals, with two of them falling from deep. He nearly notched a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
The Pistons put the Bulls away with a 105-95 victory. While it was a solid all-around team effort, Stewart’s presence in the front court issued the Pistons a needed reinforcement as they were desperate for positive results.
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