DETROIT — Isaiah Stewart has seen plenty of 30-point games from his Detroit Pistons teammates since entering the league in 2020.
He’s seen Jerami Grant do it. Hamidou Diallo did it three times. Javonte Green, Saddiq Bey, Bojan Bogdanovic and Marvin Bagley III, too.
Malachi Flynn dropped a 50-piece in 2024 for his only career game above 30 while Stewart was sidelined with an injury.
But Stewart never thought he’d reach that mark in a game during his career.
The Pistons’ big man is one of the top defenders in the NBA and has never been bothered being a defense-first player. It’s part of why he didn’t think he’d have a shot at 30.
However, his growth in coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s offense and a need for him to step up in the absence of three Detroit starters paved the way for a [career 31-point night in the Pistons’ win over the Chicago Bulls](https://www.mlive.com/pistons/2026/01/career-night-from-isaiah-stewart-pushes-pistons-past-bulls-without-cunningham.html) on Wednesday.
“I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t think I would touch 31 or 30 at this level just because of my role and the way I play,” Stewart said postgame. “But when you have guys that’s down and you need another urge on offense, my mind tonight was just be ultra aggressive and try to take the right shots and just try to propel us forward.”
Stewart had already set his career high earlier this season when he stepped up for a 26-point performance against the Memphis Grizzlies, combining with Cade Cunningham’s 33 points for a road win.
On Wednesday, [there was no Cunningham](https://www.mlive.com/pistons/2026/01/cade-cunningham-to-miss-4th-game-veteran-wing-returns-for-pistons.html) — out with a wrist contusion — Jalen Duren or Tobias Harris, due to injury.
Someone needed to be the spark.
“Having Cade out, obviously, he scores it. That’s our head of the snake on offense and what he does for us,” Stewart said. “I just came in just thinking like, ‘Hey, we got to get it done. We don’t know how we’re going to get it done, but we got to get it done.’ Ends up with me scoring 30 points. I’ll take that.”
The Pistons have dealt with injuries all season long. Their depth has been tested throughout and it’s seen unlikely heroes like Daniss Jenkins, Paul Reed and Green have big nights in place of starters.
Stewart’s had quite a few standout performances in those moments — on offense and defense — but hitting 30 was special. Even if it didn’t take the Pistons by surprise.
“It’s him, right? It’s not new, it’s not different,” Bickerstaff said of Stewart. “It’s his ability and want to just do what’s best for this team and in any way, shape that he can... It’s a credit to him, his willingness to just do what’s right by this team and accept any role. He’s done everything for us on both ends of the floor.”
The Pistons did have some trouble with scoring against the Bulls as it took awhile for Jenkins to really take over facilitating the offense, coming off the bench. Early on it was just about getting the ball inside to Stewart in his spot and let him be aggressive in finding a way to the rim.
He was nearly unstoppable to Chicago bigs Nikola Vucevic, Matas Buzelis and Lachlan Olbrich, finishing the game 14-of-17 from the floor.
“It was special,” Jenkins, who dished four of his 15 assists in the game to Stewart, said. “And I know it feels good for him just to see he’s come a long way in his career and taking big steps on the offensive side. We know what he can do defensively. To see that full arsenal for him as a player, watching him grow, to me it’s special.”
Any player on the roster being able to have that kind of special night is a big reason the Pistons remain the top team in the Eastern Conference with a four-game lead.
It might be easier to attack an NBA schedule with a complete team, but that doesn’t stop the Pistons from savoring the chance to keep surprising teams with how deep their roster is and how far each player will go to have their presence felt.
“We love when everybody is healthy, but when guys are down I look forward to the game,” Stewart said, “just because I know I’m gonna be out there with other players that are hungry, that play defense and I don’t think the other teams really expect that. Everybody in this locker room looks forward to that opportunity of getting on the floor and they take advantage of it.”