Isaiah Stewart is returning to action for the Detroit Pistons after serving a seven-game suspension following his on-court altercation on Feb. 9 against the Charlotte Hornets.
The defensive stalwart will suit up on Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, giving the Pistons more size and intensity on the interior. Going up against the Evan Mobley-Jarrett Allen tandem, followed by Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, the Pistons will need everything 'Beef Stew' brings to the table.
At the same time, Stewart's return poses a fascinating challenge for head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Does he deploy a three-headed monster in the big man rotation, or take Paul Reed out of the rotation despite him playing very well in Stewart's absence?
Paul Reed May Be the Odd Man Out in Isaiah Stewart's Return
As it's often the case, Reed stepped up admirably when Stewart was sidelined.
This was not surprising for Pistons fans, as the 26-year-old has proven to be overqualified as the third-string center in Detroit. In the seven games without Stewart, 'BBall Paul' has averaged 11.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, and a steal in 20.4 minutes per game on 61.4% shooting from the field.
Reed doesn't have the physicality, rebounding, and intensity that Stewart does, but he is a very capable two-way big man. He is versatile, can protect the rim, and can do a little bit of everything to help his team win.
Will Bickerstaff reward his good performance over the last few weeks by keeping him in the rotation or revert to making him a healthy scratch?
Bickerstaff generally uses a 10-man rotation. He has rarely given Reed regular minutes when Jalen Duren and Stewart are healthy. It's hard to imagine he would be fine with removing any of the frontcourt players from the rotation.
When the team is already struggling with shot creation and shot-making, it becomes difficult to justify playing Reed next to Stewart or Duren. Unfortunately for Reed, his lack of shooting makes him a tough fit in a lot of Detroit's lineups, regardless of how useful he is in other aspects of the game.
This is the fine balance Bickerstaff has to strike. Managing a deep team where deserving players don't get to play as much as they want is not easy. The Pistons' bench boss has done a masterful job at that all season, and he is now faced with another difficult decision.
Reed is certainly a valuable depth piece for this team. His defensive versatility and ability to fill the box score will come in handy when the Pistons are dealing with foul trouble or injuries. There will certainly be enough of those that Reed will get his chances, but until then, he will likely be riding the bench for the foreseeable future.