Detroit Pistons forward/center Isaiah Stewart recently suffered a Grade 1 left calf strain and is set to miss some time, the team announced on Tuesday morning. Stewart is undergoing treatment and will at least miss the Pistons' next four games.
He is set to be re-evaluated in one week.
This means the Pistons will be without their defensive bruiser for back-to-back matchups on Tuesday and Thursday against the Washington Wizards, a Friday game at home against the Golden State Warriors, and a home game on Monday, February 23, against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The good news for the Pistons is that this is not a significant injury, and Stewart should be able to return after resting and receiving treatment for a week or two, assuming he doesn't suffer any setbacks in his recovery. Stewart is also the only main Pistons player finding himself on the injury report, leaving the team with options to replace his production.
However, the Pistons only hold a 3.5-game lead over the Boston Celtics for the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference.
The race for the top spot in the East has suddenly become a key topic of discussion, with the Celtics getting Jayson Tatum back in the fold and winning seven of their last 10 games. On the other end, the Pistons have struggled lately, going just 3-5 over their last eight games, including a 119-108 loss on Sunday to the Toronto Raptors.
With back-to-back games against the tanking Wizards, Detroit has a clear path to two straight wins to try to steady the ship.
Unfortunately for the Pistons, this is an injury that has been bothersome to Stewart for quite some time. The big man has battled a nagging calf issue all season, and head coach JB Bickerstaff recently alluded to this after the team's loss on Sunday.
“It’s something he’s been dealing with. It just had been getting worse,” Bickerstaff said of Stewart. “He gutted it out last game and I think you could see he was favoring it late … it’s something we’re going to take time with.”
Although Detroit announced that Stewart would be re-evaluated in one week, it is reasonable to believe they will hold him out longer to make sure he is 100 percent before the playoffs and the end of the regular season. After all, he is instrumental to the team's defensive identity.
Without Stewart, Paul Reed, Ron Holland II, and Javonte Green will all see increased roles off the bench. Reed now slides into the backup big man role behind Jalen Duren in Stewart's absence.
In 55 games this season, Stewart has averaged 10.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 54.1 percent from the floor. Only he and Wizards big man Alex Sarr have recorded at least 90 blocks while playing fewer than 1,300 minutes this season.
