Pistons center Isaiah Stewart will be out due to a Grade 1 calf strain and will be re-evaluated in a week, the team announced.
The @DetroitPistons today announced the following medical update: pic.twitter.com/0QKRcOR4GP
— Pistons PR (@Pistons_PR) March 17, 2026
He may be out longer, with coach J.B. Bickerstaff refusing to put a timetable on his return, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press.
“It’s something he’s been dealing with. It just had been getting worse. He gutted it out last game and I think you could see he was favoring it late… It’s something we’re going to take time with.”
Stewart has been one of the better defensive big men in the league this season and a key part of the Pistons’ second-ranked defense, plus he is averaging 10 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He is absolutely in the mix for an All-Defensive team, but with this injury he may well not meet the 65-game threshold to qualify for a postseason award (he has played in 55 games, the Pistons have 15 games remaining). Some of the time he missed this season was due to a seven-game suspension for leaving the bench during an on-court altercation between the Pistons and Hornets.
Expect this to mean more run for Paul Reed, who has averaged 13.9 points and 7.8 rebounds as a starter this season (eight games).
