Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey praised rookie Isaiah Stewart Monday for the way he played and competed in his first official game in the NBA.
Stewart gave the Atlanta Hawks two points, eight rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes off the bench in the 128-120 loss. Of his eight total rebounds, five were on the offensive end, the most in a debating game since Jonas Valanciunas had six in 2012.
“I thought he played well,” Casey said after the game. “I thought he returned well. I thought it created a space in the paint, in the series. The young man is playing so hard he’s throwing himself out but that’s why we brought him in here. In fact, his intensity level is so high and as soon as you get that reputation of playing so hard, you get away with a lot in the league. ”
Stewart made several busy plays all his time on the court, something the Pistons love out of him. The group was very impressed with his ability to play in college in Washington and is excited to have him this season.
“I thought he had a couple of ticky-tack dirt but I liked the way he competed,” Casey said. “That’s who he is. He takes that every night, that’s not just one night. He does that in practice, games and we follow that. It sets the tone for us. ”
Detroit enters the 2020-21 season in a rematch with several other rockets on the roster, including Killian Hayes and Saddiq Bey. The team is aiming to have enough talent in the future and they are certainly happy with what each player brings each night.