Rookie Isaiah Stewart gets up to speed on some Pistons championship history

Detroit News

Rod Beard
 
| The Detroit News

What does an NBA rookie do on his first road trip?

With the pandemic, it’s not a normal year, so the typical answer of going to get food for veterans or touring through town doesn’t apply. The Pistons were relegated to their hotel ahead of Thursday’s preseason matchup against the Washington Wizards, so the options were limited.

Isaiah Stewart learned a little Pistons history.

“Actually, last night, I was watching a documentary. I re-watched the “Bad Boys” (documentary) and I watched the documentary on the ‘03-04 team,” Stewart said Thursday.

Stewart is only 19 and was a toddler around the time the “Goin’ to Work” Pistons squad won the NBA championship in 2004 and featured Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace.

General manager Troy Weaver has hinted that he wants to restore the franchise back to its glory days in building the new roster. Stewart, along with fellow rookies Killian Hayes, Saddiq Bey and Saben Lee, could be the start of something that goes in that direction.

More: Pistons mailbag: What to make of early outings from new faces, returning players

It’s the camaraderie, the selflessness and the joy of playing together that were the tenets of that group, and it could be what the young players are building this year.

“That ‘03-04 team definitely looked back at the Bad Boys. In watching, I just loved the toughness. I loved how they were together, and they didn’t care about who had what shots,” Stewart said. “They just were a team and you could see they were a family. They all had each other’s backs, and I love watching that.”

The Pistons will be in the nation’s capital for a couple more days, finishing up the two-game series against the Wizards on Saturday night.

Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard

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