Isaiah Stewart Claims NBA Best Defender Title for Pistons

Isaiah Stewart declares "I'm the best defensive player in the league," and the numbers support a loud argument. He has held opponents to 42.7 percent shooting at the rim, the lowest among players who have defended at least 100 rim attempts, and is the only player under 6-foot-7 averaging more than two blocks per game. His work anchors Detroit, which sits with the best record in the NBA and a 108.5 defensive rating, second only to Oklahoma City. Merlin sees a rising rim guardian whose counting stats and impact on film are forcing notice. The timing is messy. Stewart is serving a seven-game suspension after a Feb. 9 fight and will miss games against Cleveland and Orlando before he is eligible to return. If he comes back measuring the game the way he tracks stats, the Pistons' defense could keep climbing and the DPOY chatter will grow louder.