Jalen Duren strongly feels that Isaiah Stewart doesn’t get enough credit for his impact on the Detroit Pistons this season, especially on the defensive end.
During a recent interview at NBA Today with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Duren gave Stewart his flowers when asked about the successful 2024-25 campaign the Detroit Pistons are having.
“I see that about once or twice every game. He’s been like unreal this year in terms of his defensive presence,” Duren said about Stewart. “In my opinion, I think it’s obvious all defensive teams. If you’re not watching you wouldn’t know, but if you’re watching you’d know this guy has been amazing all year.”
“Oh man, it feels great hearing that from my dog pound member,” Stewart replied. “He obviously sees how much effort I give on the defensive end and to hear that from him it means a lot because we’re partners, we’re working together every day trying to make each other better.”
Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart are key players in the Detroit Pistons’ turnaround
The Detroit Pistons have already more than doubled their win total last season with a 35-28 record. A huge reason is their 11th-ranked defensive rating at 112.1.
Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart have been solid at the frontcourt. Duren averages 11.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 blocks on 70.2 percent shooting across 60 starts. Stewart comes off the bench, contributing 5.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 blocks on 54.3 percent shooting across 57 regular season appearances (three starts).
