"They Had Me Rethinking": Isaiah Stewart Recalls His "Welcome To The NBA" Moment

When NBA fans hear the name Isaiah Stewart, they think of a hard-nosed defender who backs down from no opponent on the hardcourt. Of course, even “Beef Stew” has to start cooking somewhere. As it turns out, tough Mr. Stewart had to earn his stripes like any other NBA player.

On a recent video posted by the YouTube channel NBAT2, the Detroit Pistons big man looked back at his days in training camp. As Stewart came to find out prior to the 2020–21 season, the only way he would get accustomed to defending NBA-caliber talent was to hold his own against the veterans of his own team.

“First day of training camp, they just threw me in the water,” Stewart recalled. “I had to guard Blake Griffin, Jerami Grant, and Mason Plumlee.”

Right then and there, the former Washington Huskies standout went through the rite of passage that every NBA rookie goes through. “That was my welcome-to-the-league moment. They had me rethinking,” he admitted.

Though Griffin and his fellow vets got Stewart second-guessing himself, the 20-year-old nevertheless had a solid rookie season, averaging 7.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. By his third year in the NBA, Stewart had grown into a double-double threat, putting up 11.3 ppg and 8.1 rpg in the 2022–23 campaign.

Stewart has certainly made a name for himself with his hustle, but he has also gained some notoriety for actions that have led to his ejection from the court multiple times over. Perhaps the most infamous incident took place in his sophomore season; it was a moment in time when he decided to get extra physical with an all-time great.

During a Detroit Pistons–Los Angeles Lakers game in November 2021, LeBron James’ elbow collided with Stewart’s face, causing the young power forward to bleed. This led to multiple players and members of the Pistons coaching staff restraining Stewart, who charged at the King multiple times.

The incident led to a two-game suspension for Stewart, but when the 6-foot-8 native of Rochester came back, he remained undeterred when it came to competing with the best the league had to offer. To date, Stewart remains a steady source of hustle stats for the vastly improved Pistons.

Beef Stew deserves credit for his contributions in this regard, but someday, a younger competitor will go on a podcast and say that his “Welcome to the NBA” moment came courtesy of Stewart.