For the second time in three weeks, Washington basketball’s top recruit has been named the Pac-12’s Freshman of the Week!
Another undefeated week for Washington basketball, and another Pac-12 Freshman of the Week award for Isaiah Stewart! With his second award of the season, Stewart joins Arizona’s Zeke Nnaji as the only other freshman to win this award twice (so far) during the 2019-2020 season.
Stewart has dominated so far this season, and this week was no exception. He averaged a double-double over the last week (23 points and 11.5 rebounds) including a career-high 27 points on Tuesday night against Seattle U. Stewart had an incredible week from the floor, shooting 73% (19/26) and was an unstoppable force in the paint.
He finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds against Ball State, which was good for his third straight double-double, but what was even more impressive was how he got there. Stewart has been drawing double teams from every team that he’s faced this season, but the Cardinals decided to triple-team him every time he touched the ball, and he was still able to dominate.
Draft Position
Recently, Stewart has been falling down NBA Draft boards due to positional fit, and with the way the modern NBA is progressing, some seem to think that he won’t have a place in it. He’s going to be an All-NBA caliber power forward, who can dominate in the paint, and he’s someone that can win in one-on-one matchups every time he touches the ball, and easily average at least eight rebounds a night at the NBA level.
He’s incredibly athletic, and can guard stretch power forwards on the perimeter, as well as play strong on the interior against bigger guys. The one area he’ll need to improve on is shooting the basketball, and that’s something that will definitely develop over time, and once he gets into an NBA locker room and can do that all year long. He’s got a smooth stroke, and over time he’ll definitely develop a good jumper for a big man.
Stewart has a ceiling as high as anyone in this draft class, and should be off the board within the first five picks.