At 11-3, the Boston Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference only to the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers, although the general consensus around the NBA is that Boston is the better team and will represent the conference in the Finals for the second year in a row.
Amid solid starters from Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, the Celtics once again have one of the more well-rounded and deeper teams in the NBA, but they have a very clear weakness. With Kristaps Porziņģis still out with a foot injury and Al Horford finally showing all 38 of his years despite being a deadly shooting threat, Boston’s frontcourt is very much depleted.
The Celtics are currently 20th in the NBA in rebounds per game, 17th in blocks and most alarmingly they allow 53 points in the paint per game, good for the third-worst in the NBA. On both ends of the floor, although particularly on defense, the Celtics need some help. Luckily, they might be able to make a deal with one of their in-conference rivals.
The Detroit Pistons are enjoying an uncharacteristic 7-8 start to the season, and backup center Isaiah Stewart has been the picture of reliability despite his lackluster scoring numbers. Coming off the bench, he is averaging 6.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. On top of that, he is holding his opponents to 45.7% shooting within six feet of the basket, which is absolutely elite.
For context, Victor Wembanyama is holding his opponents to 38.8% shooting, and Rudy Gobert is at 58.6%. “Beef Stew” is in elite company, and recent murmurings have placed him on the Celtics’ radar.
“On the Celtics, Stewart could lean into a specific role and add some much-needed support to Al Horford off the bench behind Kristaps Porziņģis once he’s able to return from injury,” wrote FanSided’s Michael Saenz on Sunday. “And, if needed, Stewart could also play a much bigger role if called upon. Who knows if the Celtics could pull off such a move, but it would theoretically make sense for both sides.”
Detroit is still rebuilding and could use some young offensive pieces to surround Cade Cunningham. While matching salary would likely force the Celtics to deal away Horford, the Pistons have undervalued Stewart, making him attainable for Boston.
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