Isaiah Stewart Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: DeRozan, Caruso, McConnell, Haliburton, Stewart

January 23rd, 2023 at 2:23pm CST by Rory Maher

With the February 9 trade deadline fast approaching, Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan knows that several teams could look quite different in a few weeks. He isn’t sure what Chicago’s front office will do, but says the current Bulls roster needs to focus on climbing up the standings.

“Everybody else in the league is going to do what they feel is best for them,” DeRozan said, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “I feel like, for us, we’re right there. We have to take advantage of the opportunity that’s in front of us.”

The Bulls are currently 21-24, the No. 10 seed in the East, but have gone 10-6 over their past 16 games, Cowley notes. DeRozan admits the first half of the 2022/23 season was a roller coaster.

“We had a helluva first half with a lot of ups and downs,” DeRozan said. “Now it’s time to turn everything we went through into a positive. We’re right there. It’s a great opportunity this week to take it one game at a time and write our own story. That’s all we can worry about.”

Here’s more from the Central:

The Bulls have been cautious with Alex Caruso this season in an effort to have him available more often. His minutes have been cut back from 28.0 to 24.4 per game, and the veteran guard says he’s feeling the benefits, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “I feel good,” Caruso said. “Anything that’s hurting right now is not out of the ordinary for anybody else in the league. Shoulder feels just about 100 percent from the last time we played Atlanta. Head is good. Knees are good. Feet are good. Hands are a little beat up, but that’s kind of the NBA. Anybody that doesn’t have a couple sprained thumbs or fat finger at this point of the year probably isn’t playing hard enough.” The defensive stalwart was limited to 41 games in ’21/22, but will make his 40th appearance on Monday against the Hawks.
Including the game he was hurt, the Pacers have now dropped seven straight games since Tyrese Haliburton went down with elbow and knee injuries. While the team is obviously struggling overall, backup point guard T.J. McConnell has been playing his best basketball of the season during the recent stretch, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. The 30-year-old, who is in the second year of a four-year contract, is averaging 15.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 8.3 APG and 1.7 SPG on .625/.750/1.000 shooting over his past seven contests, including a triple-double in Saturday’s loss to Phoenix.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle says Haliburton is making progress in his recovery, tweets Dopirak. The third-year guard’s elbow is evidently bothering him more than his knee at the moment, but he was able to go through the non-contact portions of Monday’s practice. Haliburton said a few days ago that he was targeting a return at the start of February.
Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart will be sidelined for Monday’s game against Milwaukee due to shoulder soreness, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link). It’s something that has been bothering him for a while — Stewart missed three straight games a couple weeks ago with the injury, returned for two contests, and is now out again.

Pistons Notes: Noel, Stewart, Deadline Approach, Livers

January 12th, 2023 at 2:22pm CST by Rory Maher

Pistons backup center Nerlens Noel has filled in admirably as an emergency starter, writes Mike Curtis of The Detroit News. The 28-year-old had only made nine appearances for a total of 81 minutes leading up to Tuesday, but he started back-to-back games with Isaiah Stewart (shoulder), Jalen Duren (right ankle soreness) and Marvin Bagley III (hand surgery) all sidelined.

“Ten years in, it’s a blessing. Nothing to take for granted,” Noel said after Wednesday’s victory over Minnesota. “I saw tonight we were playing against (Rudy) Gobert, so I definitely took it upon myself to try and be at my best as far as rim-protecting goes. This is what I’ve been doing and I’m going to continue to do it, especially with the steals. I know it changes the game. Just gotta stay consistent.”

Long known for his disruptive defense, Noel has averaged 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 2.0 steals in 21.0 minutes over the past two games, Curtis notes. Even though he hasn’t played much this season, Noel says he will be ready when his number is called.

“I’ve always been a team guy, through everything,” Noel said, per Curtis. “It’s a great group of guys here, great young guys. With my veteran s–t, I just lend knowledge, whatever they want, let them pick my brain and help them out with experiences I’ve been through. We’ve got a young frontcourt, so I’m never tripping on that. I’m always here for them and when they call my number, I’ll be ready.”

There have been multiple rumors indicating that the Pistons are looking to move Noel — his recent play might help convince rival teams that he’s healthy and can still provide a defensive boost.

Here’s more on the Pistons:

Head coach Dwane Casey said that Stewart underwent testing on his sore shoulder, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Casey added that the team doesn’t think it will be a long-term concern, but are still waiting for results from the exams. The third-year big man has missed the past two games with the injury.
Edwards doesn’t expect the Pistons to have a fire sale ahead of the trade deadline, as he writes in a mailbag article for The Athletic. Like Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, he hears Detroit is looking for a first-round pick and a “good young player” for veteran forward Bojan Bogdanovic. He doesn’t think Alec Burks will be dealt, nor Saddiq Bey, though he does believe Bey might be more likely to be moved than the aforementioned veterans. The most likely player to be traded, according to Edwards? That would be Noel, but even he isn’t a lock — his $9.24MM salary might make him more of a buyout candidate.
Second-year forward Isaiah Livers made his return to the lineup on Wednesday, Edwards notes (via Twitter). Livers hadn’t played since December 1 due to a right shoulder sprain, missing 20 consecutive games in the process. The Pistons hold a $1.84MM team option on the former second-round pick for 2023/24.

Central Notes: Stewart, Theis, Bucks, DeRozan, LaVine, Allen

December 29th, 2022 at 10:28pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Starting Pistons center Isaiah Stewart has emerged as a key leader for a rebuilding 9-28 Detroit team this season, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Edwards notes that the third-year big man, still just 21 years old, has become the team’s de facto main presence with star point guard Cade Cunningham shelved indefinitely.

“I’ve been sitting back and just seeing his growth, his progress on the floor and as a leader,” journeyman Detroit shooting guard Rodney McGruder told Edwards. “He’s being more vocal in the locker room, on the bench, in timeouts and in huddles.”

McGruder has spoken with Stewart about being more careful not to show frustration or disappointment on the court during games.

“For me, personally, that’s another growth step in regards to not showing that body language,” Stewart told Edwards. “I do feel like that kind of helped me in terms of learning how to talk to my teammates. You can talk to a certain teammate a certain way, other teammates you can’t talk to a certain way. That aspect has helped me.”

Through 30 games in 2022/23, Stewart is averaging a career-best 11.7 PPG on .467/.373/.742 shooting splits. He is also pulling down 7.8 RPG and dishing out 1.2 APG.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

The health of reserve Pacers center Daniel Theis appears to be improving as he continues to rehabilitate from a preseason knee scope, notes Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link). The 6’8″ big man was spotted working through on-court shootarounds, per Jeremiah Johnson of Bally Sports Indiana (via Twitter).
The Bucks‘ 139-118 blowout Christmas loss to the Celtics looked a lot like last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Nehm notes that Boston was frequently able to free up All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum for exploitable mismatches on offense. “He had a big night of tough shot-making and, at some point, it’s on me to maybe change it up, give him a different look, but credit to Jayson tonight,” Milwaukee head coach Mike Budenholzer said of Tatum, who scored 41 points in the Celtics’ win.
In Wednesday’s 119-113 overtime Bulls victory over the Bucks, Chicago All-Star DeMar DeRozan took exception to a hard forearm in his back courtesy of Milwaukee shooting guard Grayson Allen, and there was a brief dust-up with play stopped. After the game, both DeRozan and Zach LaVine alluded to Allen’s reputation for borderline plays, per Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. Though video review indicated that Bulls forward Patrick Williams initially fouled Allen, who then fell into DeRozan, Chicago’s stars remained frustrated. “I didn’t know if it was on purpose or what happened,” DeRozan said. “I just felt a hit. That’s all it was.” LaVine weighed in as well: “We know his (Allen’s) track record. Pat got the foul, but DeMar got elbowed in the back of the head. It is what it is. We made up for it with a big win. DeMar responded the right way. The next 20 minutes, you saw what happened.”

Central Notes: Hayes, Stewart, Mathurin, Mitchell, Bulls

December 16th, 2022 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

After Killian Hayes put up a season-high 25 points on Wednesday, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic says it’s no longer surprising when the Pistons guard has a big night, adding that it’s time to consider him “a good, solid NBA player.”

Hayes had a couple up-and-down seasons after being selected seventh overall in the 2020 draft, but is still just 21 years old and has been playing the best basketball of his NBA career this fall. Since entering the Pistons’ starting lineup on November 12, Hayes has averaged 11.8 PPG, 6.7 APG, and 3.2 RPG on .424/.400/.733 shooting in 17 games (28.6 MPG).

“He’s not growing on anyone else’s watch. He’s going at his pace, his speed,” Pistons head coach Dwane Casey recently said. “That’s what young players do. Everyone wants him to be that 10-year vet, but, what, he’s in year three? That’s why it’s not surprising me. We just have to be patient. Unfortunately, this league isn’t full of patience. It’s about winning games. But he is growing right before our eyes.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

Isaiah Stewart‘s willingness to shift from center to power forward has put him in position to be part of the Pistons‘ frontcourt of the future alongside center Jalen Duren, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “They’re going to grow together,” Casey said of the duo on Wednesday. “They’re going to be together for a long time, so they better like each other. If they don’t, they’re going to be in big trouble because they’re going to be with the organization a long time.”
Bob Kravitz of The Athletic profiles Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin, who says he feels like he has “no choice but to be great” due to his desire to provide for his family and influence kids in his hometown of Montreal. The No. 6 overall pick is off to a good start in his quest to become a star, having averaged 17.8 points in his first 29 NBA games.
After his Cavaliers got a win in Dallas on Wednesday, Donovan Mitchell reflected on the role the Mavericks played in his current circumstances, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). The Mavs’ first-round elimination of the Jazz in last season’s postseason taught Mitchell some important lessons and hastened his Utah exit. “At the end of the day, they’re kind of the reason why I’m in Cleveland,” Mitchell said. “They did a great job in the playoff series. So, I’m thankful. I’m here. I’m glad to be here. Last year made me a better player. You take those lessons, you learn, and you implement them.”
With Lonzo Ball‘s availability for this season still up in the air, the Bulls should be trying to find a way to add a proven point guard to their roster, argues Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Central Notes: Pistons, Bey, Turner, Nembhard, Allen

December 8th, 2022 at 9:13am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have started big men Isaiah Stewart and Marvin Bagley III alongside one another in the frontcourt in each of their last five games, with longtime starting forward Saddiq Bey moving to the bench as Bojan Bogdanovic holds onto his starting spot.

James L. Edwards III of The Athletic believes the two-big lineup will be one that the Pistons use for the foreseeable future, since it fits how they want to play — “bigger and more physically imposing,” as Edwards puts it. Detroit also envisions Stewart and rookie Jalen Duren as its long-term frontcourt of the future, Edwards adds, so it makes sense to get Stewart accustomed to playing next to another big man.

Bey had started 142 consecutive games for the Pistons before being demoted to the bench in the 15th game of the 2022/23 season. The third-year forward’s numbers have dipped this season – his 28.8% mark on three-pointers is by far a career worst – but he’s accepting his new role in stride, as Mike Curtis of The Detroit News (subscriber link) writes.

“It’s an opportunity to try and help the team win as much as possible,” Bey said. “Whatever role the team needs me to do, I’m ready to do. It’s me walking the walk. This is the role (head coach Dwane Casey) needs me to do to help us win and I’m just going to try and contribute as much as I can and just play hard.”

For what it’s worth, Casey said that he still looks at Bey “as a starter” even though he’s currently asking him to be the primary scoring option for that second unit.

Here’s more from around the Central:

It’s still unclear whether or not Myles Turner has a future in Indiana beyond this season, but the Pacers center seems to be enjoying himself and is more consistently engaged than he ever has been in the past, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required). “I’m having a great time,” Turner said. “My main focus is to come out and help this team win. I can sit and talk (about my future) in general all I want to, but that’s not what’s going to help this team win.”
In a separate article for The Indianapolis Star, Dopirak writes that Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard “desperately wanted” Andrew Nembhard in the 2022 draft despite his modest college numbers. Nembhard is making Pritchard look good so far, enjoying the best game of his young career on Monday when he racked up 31 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds in a road win at Golden State. Head coach Rick Carlisle recently expressed a belief that the No. 31 pick will end up being a top-12 or top-15 player in this year’s draft class.
Spencer Davies of BasketballNews.com makes the case that center Jarrett Allen is the most crucial part of the Cavaliers‘ success, breaking down his impact on both ends of the court.

Injury Notes: Stewart, Butler, Clips, Simmons, Hachimura

November 29th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart will likely return on Tuesday night after missing the last seven games with a sprained toe, tweets James L. Edwards of The Athletic. He’s currently listed as questionable.

Stewart was the starting center for Detroit’s first 15 games and is averaging 12.0 points and 9.3 rebounds. His return is expected to give the Pistons more flexibility to experiment with two big men on the court, since Stewart has shown the ability to stretch the floor a little.

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

Heat forward Jimmy Butler, who is not yet with the team in Boston, is expected to miss a seventh consecutive game on Wednesday due to right knee soreness, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. According to Chiang, the hope is that Butler will be able to play on Friday in Miami’s second matchup with the Celtics this week.
Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard (ankle) and Paul George (hamstring) have been ruled out for Tuesday’s game in Portland, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. According to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), Leonard didn’t travel with the team and won’t be in Utah on Wednesday for the second half of a back-to-back either.
Nets swingman Ben Simmons left Monday’s win over Orlando early due to left knee soreness, as Nick Friedell of ESPN writes. Simmons, who missed five games earlier in the season due to soreness in that same knee, has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game game vs. Washington, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link). It’s unclear if he might miss more time beyond that.
The Wizards announced today in a press release that Rui Hachimura has been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his sore right ankle, which has already cost him the last four games. According to the team, Hachimura will remain sidelined on Wednesday and his status beyond that “will be determined by his clinical evolution.”

Pistons Notes: Stewart, Bogdanovic, Hayes

November 24th, 2022 at 12:33pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Pistons center Isaiah Stewart was briefly assigned to Detroit’s NBA G League affiliate club, the Motor City Cruise, for a Wednesday practice while rehabilitating his sprained right big toe, per Mike Curtis of The Detroit News. Stewart has been unavailable since initially hurting the toe against the Raptors on November 14.

Curtis notes that the 6’8″ big man out of Washington is averaging career-highs of 12.0 PPG and 9.3 RPG in his third NBA season. Detroit has gone 2-3 without him.

There’s more out of Detroit:

Pistons power forward Bojan Bogdanovic discussed his first game against his former team, the Jazz, ahead of Wednesday’s contest, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter video link). “I was really happy and honored to be part of this organization,” Bogdanovic said. “I saw a lot of guys being traded [over the summer] so I was just waiting to see what was going to happen to me.” In something of a surprise, Detroit won, 125-116.
Pistons point guard Killian Hayes, starting in the stead of the indefinitely sidelined Cade Cunningham, left last night’s win with a calf injury in the third quarter and did not return, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link).
In case you missed it, Cunningham has suffered a possible left shin stress fracture. He may require surgery should the ailment not improve with rest.

Central Notes: Osman, LaVine, Middleton, Matthews, Pistons

November 21st, 2022 at 5:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cedi Osman has received sporadic playing time and has been the subject of trade rumors but the Cavaliers forward has usually taken advantage of his opportunities, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes.

After playing just seven minutes against Charlotte on Friday, Osman got 37 minutes of court action the next night against Miami and put up 20 points and 12 rebounds. He’s likely to receive plenty of playing time on Monday with Caris LeVert out due to an ankle sprain.

“He’s one of those guys where there’s a spirit and an energy that we depend on, and we know the lift he gives us,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I think Friday night he didn’t play as much, and I think he wanted to show he was going to take advantage of his minutes.”

Osman’s future beyond 2022/23 is uncertain, as his salary for next season isn’t guaranteed.

We have more from the Central Division:

Zach LaVine said there’s no ill feelings between him and Bulls coach Billy Donovan, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic writes. LaVine was upset when he was benched during a loss to Orlando on Friday. “Me and Billy talk all the time,” LaVine said. “It’s a tough decision. Obviously, I’m a competitive guy. I want to play. I just told him I feel like I’ve earned the right to go out there and try to play through a bad game. His decision was to try to do the best thing for the team, which I respect. If we won, obviously I would’ve been ecstatic. We lost, I wasn’t. I had a terrible game.”
The Bucks assigned Khris Middleton and Wesley Matthews to the G League’s Wisconsin Herd, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. That allowed the rehabbing players to get some practice time. The Bucks didn’t practice since they’re playing against Portland on Monday.
The Pistons played without three injured starters — Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart — at Sacramento on Sunday and lost despite scoring a season-high 129 points. Coach Dwane Casey said the team needs to push through adversity, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. “It’s not ‘Woe is me’ right now in the locker room,” Casey said. “We’ve got to stay together, stay connected.”

Pistons Notes: Stewart, Bagley, Bey, Bogdanovic

November 15th, 2022 at 10:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Isaiah Stewart has spent most of his young career at center. Pistons coach Dwane Casey believes that will eventually change, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes.

“Eventually, he’s going to be a power forward-slash-center – the other way around,” Casey said. “He’s developing into that because he can guard all five positions. So now the last part to come out is his 3-point shooting.”

That process began when Marvin Bagley III, who just returned last week from a knee injury, replaced Saddiq Bey in the lineup on Monday. However, Stewart exited the contest against Toronto with a right big toe sprain, just before the start of a road trip, and will be sidelined for a minimum of two weeks.

We have more on the Pistons:

Casey wanted to go with a two-big lineup because the team has struggled to rebound and defend due to a lack of size around Stewart, James Edwards III of The Athletic writes. Bagley gives the first unit a true vertical threat for the backcourt of Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham, though Cunningham is currently nursing a shin injury.
With Stewart out, Edwards anticipates that Bey will return to the starting five.
Bojan Bogdanovic has boosted the offense with his perimeter shooting but may need to pick his spots more judiciously as a creator, Edwards notes in the same piece. He had five turnovers in Monday’s loss, four the previous game and seven in a game against the Bucks last week. Yet he’s averaging just 1.9 assists per night.
Bagley was re-signed to a three-year contract this summer and tried to use his time wisely after suffering the knee sprain during the preseason, Langlois writes in a separate story. “I was really focused and locked in,” he said. “My main goal was to stay locked in throughout the whole time – practices, on the bench during games, just being ready. The day (his injury) happened, I didn’t know how long I was going to be out but once I got the timeline I was going to be out, I just mentally prepared for it and now I’m back, ready to play.”

Isaiah Stewart Out At Least Two Weeks With Toe Sprain

November 15th, 2022 at 5:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The already floundering Pistons got more bad news on Monday as big man Isaiah Stewart has a sprained right big toe and will be out a minimum of two-to-three weeks, according to a team press release.

Stewart suffered the injury in the second quarter of Monday’s game against Toronto. At the time, Stewart’s injury was listed as a right foot sprain. Further testing conducted by team doctors updated the diagnosis.

Stewart is averaging 12.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game this season while starting all 15 games. He made 71 starts last season, averaging 8.3 points and 8.7 rebounds.

Coach Dwane Casey had expressed a desire to go with bigger lineups and play Stewart more often at power forward. That plan will have to be put on hold.

Stewart added a 3-point shot to his skill set this season, knocking down 33.3% of his attempts so far. Without Stewart, the Pistons will use Marvin Bagley III, rookie Jalen Duren, and Nerlens Noel as their primary bigs.

Franchise player Cade Cunningham has missed the last three games due to left shin soreness. The team is now without two starters until Cunningham returns.