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Denver Nuggets Vet Drops Honest Take on Isaiah Stewart

What does Tim Hardaway Jr. think of Isaiah Stewart?
Justin Grasso|
Dec 28, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart (28) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) battle under the basket in the second half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Dec 28, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart (28) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) battle under the basket in the second half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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When it comes to Isaiah Stewart, the Detroit Pistons veteran is seen as one of the most notable enforcers in the NBA. Unfortunately for him, one of his most popular highlights isn’t a basketball play.

But the Pistons know well that Stewart is much more than the guy who lost his cool on LeBron James.

Denver Nuggets forward Tim Hardaway Jr. summed up his experience playing alongside Stewart with a positive take. While he acknowledged that Stewart “between the lines” is much different than the guy off the court, the veteran sharpshooter doesn’t have anything negative to say about his former teammate.

“Isaiah Stewart is probably one of the best teammates I’ve ever had, man,” Hardaway said on The Young Man and the Three.

“He is… He has a heart of gold. Wouldn’t hurt a fly. But when he steps in between them lines, I don’t know what triggers him or what happens, but he becomes something that you can’t really teach. That type of attitude and that type of energy that he brought kind of molded what the Pistons were about back in the day. It gave us that energy to go out there and try to do whatever we could to win. Stew, man, he’s good dude. He’s a really good dude.”

Since landing with the Pistons in 2020, Stewart has changed his role several times. Through his first three seasons, Stewart was the Pistons’ starting center. When Jalen Duren took on that role in 2023-2024, Stewart shifted to the power forward position, trying his hand as a stretch-four.

When JB Bickerstaff took over, and Tim Hardaway entered the picture, Stewart took on a role as the backup center. He embraced it, and ended up having his most impactful season, especially from a defensive standpoint.

The numbers aren’t jumping off the page for Stewart these days, but the Pistons have praised him many times throughout their successful 2024-2025 NBA season. Hardaway is just the latest to make it clear that there’s much more to the veteran center than being an enforcer.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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