Pistons' Isaiah Stewart: Handles sizable minutes in return

Stewart (suspension/ankle) started at power forward and tallied 11 points (4-9 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), nine rebounds and one block across 34 minutes Tuesday in the Pistons' 105-95 win over the Bulls.

Playing for the first time since Jan. 28 after missing eight games with a sprained left ankle and then three games while serving a suspension, Stewart faced no obvious restrictions during his time on the court. Even though the Pistons brought aboard Simone Fontecchio at the trade deadline, he moved to the bench to accommodate the return of Stewart, who started alongside Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson in the frontcourt. Though Duren and Thompson both seemingly represent longer-term building blocks for Detroit, the coaching staff may be eager to see if Stewart and Duren can coexist alongside one another after the former had primarily played at center up until this season. After converting on fewer than one-third of his three-point attempts over his first three NBA seasons, Stewart has at least shown some growth as a floor-spacing threat in Year 4, knocking down a respectable 37.2 percent of his tries from downtown.