The Detroit Pistons have lost 28 games in a row and will now be without a starter for a bit. Big man Isaiah Stewart is dealing with a right toe sprain and is expected to miss 10-14 days, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Stewart missed the Pistons' heartbreaking 128-22 loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday with the injury. Detroit led the game by as many as 21 points before a third-quarter collapse made things tight. The Pistons had their chances in crunch time and in overtime, only to fall short. The 28th straight loss ties the NBA's all-time record for consecutive losses.

Isaiah Stewart's Pistons role

Isaiah Stewart with the Pistons arena in the background

Isaiah Stewart has been a Pistons rotation player since getting drafted 16th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-8 big man started out primarily as a reserve but still got 21.4 minutes per game as a rookie, and he has since become a consistent starter. Stewart has started all 28 games in which he has appeared in this season.

The 22-year-old is averaging 10.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 47.2% from the field and 39.8% from 3-point range. His 3-point shooting this season has improved immensely after being around 33% over the first three years of his career.

There have been some questions about the starting frontcourt pairing of Stewart and Jalen Duren (he just recently came back from a three-week absence) alongside Cade Cunningham. With Stewart out against the Celtics, Monty Williams turned to Kevin Knox II in the lineup. Will Williams go back to Stewart as a starter when he's healthy again? There's no reason right now to think he wouldn't, but perhaps that changes if the Pistons actually start winning some games.

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Pistons' upcoming schedule

The Pistons' next chance to win a game comes Saturday against the Toronto Raptors, who will be on the second night of a back-to-back. After that, they start 2024 with a road game in Houston against the Rockets. This starts a four game road trip that also features games against the Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets.

Detroit returns home Jan. 9 against the Sacramento Kings, which seems like the best bet for Isaiah Stewart's earliest possible return date.