Tale of the Isaiah Stewart Tape: He Doesn't Shoot Much - or Enough
As he and his teammates prepare to meet 23rd-ranked Colorado on Saturday night in Boulder, freshman Isaiah Stewart has played 20 games for Washington with a minimum of 13 outings remaining for him, counting Pac-12 and possibly NIT tournament appearances.
Remember, he's not going to be here long. The NBA is beckoning. Enjoy the always hustling and hard-working Stewart while you can.
With the personnel surrounding him, the last-place Huskies (12-8 overall, 2-5 Pac-12) have done him few favors for coming all the way from Rochester, New York, to fulfill a limited college basketball experience, outside of providing him with continuous opportunities, some on national TV, to show pro scouts what he can do.
He's greatly impressed everyone who's encountered him, including Gonzaga coach Mark Few, who likely paused and pictured the UW player in a Zags uniform when he came through.
"Man oh man, I'm very impressed with Stewart," Few said following Gonzaga's 83-76 victory over the UW in early December. "His hands. How he catches and finishes. How he makes free throws."
The following statistics demonstrate that Stewart is just about the most unselfish star talent you will find to pull on a Washington jersey.
Through the UW's 20 baffling outings (four blown games with leads of 12 to 16), he's led the Huskies in scoring 13 times.
That's in contrast to Jaden McDaniels, who has been the top UW point-producer four times; Naz Carter, who's been the leading scorer twice; and the inactive Quade Green, who did it once.
Stewart has scored 20 points on seven occasions, with a high game of 27 against Seattle U.
McDaniels has scored 20 points or more just three times, the idle Green matched that with three outings of 20 or better before sitting down and Carter has done it once--with 23 against Baylor in the opener.
Stewart has topped the UW in rebounds 12 times, hitting double digits nine times, with a high of 19 against Oregon.
McDaniels has topped the Huskies in boards five times, Hameir Wright has done it three times, Carter twice and Sam Timmons once, when the New Zealander tied two others for game honors.
The most telling stat for Stewart is this: He's led the Huskies in shots attempted in just eight games.
That's right, eight.
That's 40 percent of the time for a guy who leads the UW in scoring by a wide margin at 18 points per game and is shooting at a 58.4-percent clip. He averages 11.3 shots per game.
Against Oregon, a 64-61 overtime loss, Stewart was at his best with 25 points and 19 rebounds. He took just 12 shots. He did everything he could that afternoon, especially by cashing in at the foul line and making 12 of 15 attempts.
"I wish we could have got this one for him," UW coach Mike Hopkins said afterward.
One of the problems for this Huskies team is everybody's got to get their looks. Another is these guys simply don't or can't get the ball to their talented post player.
McDaniels has topped the Huskies in shots attempted eight times, Carter's done it three times and Jamal Bey has done it once.
Against Eastern Washington alone, five other Huskies took more shots from the floor than Stewart, who, to be fair, was in foul trouble.
But what's wrong with this picture?
It's time to use and abuse Isaiah Stewart. Time's running out.
