Inside The Huskies

Only Ankle Injury Can Slow Stewart, the Pistons' Great Hope for Resurgence

The franchise is enthused over the play of the former University of Washington big man.

Dan Raley

Only Ankle Injury Can Slow Stewart, the Pistons' Great Hope for Resurgence
Only Ankle Injury Can Slow Stewart, the Pistons' Great Hope for Resurgence /

Isaiah Stewart finally got a break from the basketball season, though it wasn't one he actively sought. On Thursday, the 6-foot-9 big man sprained an ankle while scrimmaging against the U.S. Olympic team in Las Vegas and had to leave for treatment.

There was no indication of how severe the injury was for Stewart, the former University of Washington player now with the Detroit Pistons, and one of 17 players on a select team put together to prepare the Americans for the Tokyo basketball medal play. 

Stewart, known for his basketball endurance, went straight from the close of his NBA rookie season to this national team commitment. 

Before his injury, Stewart had people singing his praises as an NBA player who was a pleasant surprise. The 16th overall draft pick, he earned an immediate spot in the Pistons' rotation and then a starting job. The league rewarded this well-muscled and serious-minded kid by naming him to the second unit of its All-NBA Rookie Team. 

After exceeding expectations in the Motor City, Stewart has been singled out by franchise leaders to keep progressing and turn into someone special as he becomes more seasoned.

They talk about him transforming himself into Detroit's next All-Star player because of his ability to play defense and rebound at a high level as well as score. However, he needs to develop a 3-point shot.

Longer term, these NBA insiders suggest that Stewart, so compact in size and sturdy and determined at all times, might turn himself into the second coming of the great Wes Unseld.

Two inches smaller, Unseld averaged 10.8 points and 14 rebounds per game over 13 seasons while leading the Washington Bullets to the 1978 NBA championship over the Seattle Sonics and earning universal respect as a hard-nosed player.

Stewart comes off in a similar fashion. Consider his explanation for being compared to the rough-and-tumble Pistons Ben Wallace and Rodman.

“Toughness, grit, having that chip on your shoulder and not caring what anyone thinks," Stewart summed up about himself. "Just go out and play hard. Go out and do everything you’ve got to do to win. It’s great history with those teams, those players. The fact they see that in my game, it’s definitely a great thing to see.” 

Stewart is being counted on, along with a young roster and the Pistons' owning the No. 1 overall draft pick, to lead a franchise resurgence and a return to glory.

Basketball observers really admire Stewart because he's been part of two really inept teams at the UW and in Detroit over the past two years, and the negative team results have done nothing at all to temper his approach one bit, which is all out, all the time.

An ankle injury, for that matter, isn't going to keep him down long.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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