Pistons Parting Ways with Griffin, Which Will Increase Stewart's Time

The Detroit Pistons and Blake Griffin have agreed the six-time NBA All-Star forward will sit out while the team determines his future — a move that will open up playing time for young players such as Isaiah Stewart, the rookie from the University of Washington.

Griffin's play has fallen off dramatically in recent seasons once he suffered a series of injuries.

Meantime, the 6-foot-9 Stewart has impressed the Pistons' coaching staff this season with his aggressive play, which recently led to a pair of starting assignments as a replacement for then-ailing center Mason Plumlee.

Stewart also has supplied a pair of double-double outings and gone nose to nose following a game with the Milwaukee Bucks' 6-11 superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who objected to the new player's rough style of play.

The former Husky big man also had a heated interaction with the Philadelphia 76ers' Dwight Howard, grabbing onto the other guy's shorts and ripping them on a rebounding play. To top it off, an agitated Howard drew a technical foul.

Stewart, who averages 4.8 points and 5.4 rebounds an outing, doesn't back down from anyone.

"When you play against him, you're going to go against a ball of energy," Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. "You better bring your work boots and hard hat to play against him, because he's going to bring it."

As the 16th overall pick in the draft, Stewart endeared himself right away to the Pistons' fan base after it learned he had studied videos of the Bad Boys championship teams during training camp.

The Rochester, New York, product is said to embody that old-time Pistons approach. He credits his Jamaican heritage passed down by his father, Dela, for making him the player he is.

Dela Stewart migrated to the U.S. from Jamaica in the 1970s to perform farm work and then construction, and he shared his industrious values with his son.

"Growing up my dad showed me examples of how to make it in life, how to work hard and how to have the will to not be denied," Isaiah Stewart said. "For me, I take it very seriously because I feel it runs through my veins, it runs through my blood, and I have a big part of that in me. Obviously, learning from my dad how hard he worked, I feel like all Jamaicans are hard workers and are cut from a different type of cloth."

At Washington, Stewart took it a step further by wearing Patrick Ewing's No. 33 as a tribute to the legendary Georgetown and NBA player with Jamaican bloodlines and ultimately a basketball Hall of Fame player. He watched Ewing's highlights as a kid.

"A lot of people found it weird since I am so young, but I feel like he was one of the first bigs to start putting his face up in his game and shooting jump shots," Stewart told the Pistons media. "Not only that, I found out he was Jamaican as well and that made me even crazier about him and his career and everything. He is definitely the reason that I wore 33."

The Pistons will explore trade possibilities for Griffin, 31, and if that doesn't pan out, a contract buyout. He averages 12.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists this season. He has been in Detroit since coming over in a trade in January 2018.

The franchise has made it clear it wants to rebuild and move on to younger players such as Stewart and Saddiq Bey.

"We respect all the effort Blake put forth in Detroit and his career, and will work to achieve a positive outcome for all involved," Pistons general manager Troy Weaver said.

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