Detroit Pistons forward / center Isaiah Stewart is undeterred by his team’s league-wide perception
With two more days until the Detroit Pistons take the court for some playoff basketball in the Motor City, the team has stayed busy at Henry Ford Health Pistons Performance Center in preparation for their first round matchup.
Now, the Pistons haven’t been able to prepare for a specific opponent just yet– either the Orlando Magic or the Charlotte Hornets could wind up with the eight seed entering the playoffs. But even without that crucial bit of information, the Pistons are chomping at the bit for an opportunity to stake their claim as the top team in the Eastern Conference in due time.
“We’re hungry,” Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart said on Thursday. “We’re hungry. We’re ready for that first game to get here. We had to kind of hold ourselves back in some practice today and not hurt each other too much, but we’re hungry and we’re looking forward to that first game coming up.”
For Stewart in particular, the Pistons’ 2025-26 playoff run represents another chance to make an impact for his team in the playoffs after an untimely injury limited his impact a year ago against the New York Knicks.
“It’s great to be in this position,” Stewart said. “Last year, obviously I went into it nursing something that kept me out the series, but being able to go in the playoffs on my two feet and healthy as I can be is the best position I could be in and I’m happy. I’m thankful that I’ll be able to be there for my teammates, and I’m available.”
During the final month of the regular season, Stewart battled a left calf strain that caused the rim-protecting defensive stalwart to sit out for an extended period of time. Before that, Stewart served a seven-game suspension during February for his role in a brawl with the Charlotte Hornets, so staying on the court has been easier said than done for Beef Stew recently.
But as the famous adage goes, the best ability is availability in the postseason, and Stewart has no misconceptions that the Pistons are loaded with players who can contribute if Detroit runs into an unexpected absence in the playoffs.
“This team is built up of guys who are ready to step up whenever their name is called,” Stewart said. “Everybody on this team has something to prove. Everybody is ready, and I think that showed this season. When guys were out and another guys is called, he’s able to come in and do his job and help get the win, so everybody helped us win basketball games this year.”
The Pistons showed as much throughout the course of the 82-game regular season given their post place position in the East dating back to November, but for some reason Detroit remains overlooked. Currently, the Boston Celtics are widely considered as the favorite to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, but that perception is just fuel to the fire for the sixth-year big man.
“It is what it is,” Stewart said. “Everybody is entitled to their own opinions, so just let that be that. I feel like this is what we do. We’ve always been underdogs, and we’re still hunting, so we like that.”
Despite the success that Detroit has enjoyed this season, the Pistons have operated with a chip on their shoulder since day one. According to Stewart and his teammates, the Pistons still have a lot to prove after their expedient playoff exit last season, and this year represents an opportunity for Beef Stew to course correct with the most important basketball of their season kicking off just two days from now.
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