Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman (33) and Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Isaiah Stewart was drafted by the Detroit Pistons 16th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. Going into year three he still has room for improvement, but has also shown significant value as a player.
Beef Stew quickly showed fans what Troy Weaver had in mind when he decided to make the draft night trade for him. His high motor, defensive mindset, and grit made him an instant fan favorite. He’s started 85 of his career 139 games in his first two seasons, earning an All-Rookie selection, and an opportunity to represent Detroit in the Rising Star Game during All-Star weekend this past season.
Stewart is young and talented and he could take a huge leap in his third season. Stew is a versatile piece for this young core, but he’s also quietly been the best big prospect from his draft class.
Here’s a look at how Isaiah Stewart stacks up against the other bigs from the 2020 NBA Draft.
Detroit Pistons: Isaiah Stewart and the bigs of the 2020 NBA Draft
James Wiseman
James Wiseman has suburban talent, that’s what made him a number two pick by the Golden State Warriors. He’s an NBA champion after two years in the league. However he’s only played in a handful of games, suiting up in only 39 of 154 regular season games during that two-year span. When healthy, he’s been promising, an athletic big oozing with potential. We’ll look at what he did while playing and try not to focus too much on him missing so much time. Although most fans would agree in sports the best ability is availability.
Rebounding/Efficiency the great separators
Wiseman averaged 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 9 blocks in 21.4 minutes. He shot 51.9 percent from the field, 62.8 percent from the free throw line and 31.6 percent from three. When you put those shooting splits against Stewart’s he’s a notch below the Detroit Pistons’ center. Stewart is a career 33 percent shooter from three who shoots an efficient 55 percent from the field and over 70 percent from the charity stripe.
Stewart has also been the better rebounder over Wiseman. His 8.7 a game over the last two seasons easily surpasses the 5.8 Wiseman has averaged when healthy and able to play. Stewart is a ball of energy who doesn’t give up on plays, leading to second chance points and offensive rebounds. Since entering the league he’s ranked 11th in offensive rebounds, proving to be one of the best rebounding bigs in the league. When it comes to rebounding, he’s far above all the other bigs in his class.
Who knows what the future holds, Wiseman can get healthy and prove to the world he’s the right pick at two. However this is about today, Isaiah Stewart has been the better player. It’s not very close, whether efficiency, rebounding, defense it all suggests that Stewart is slightly better. It should be interesting watching these two moving forward since they’ve been rivals since their AAU days, but for now, Stewart has the edge.