Isaiah Stewart earned his ejection Wednesday night against the Pacers when he hit Thomas Bryant with a forearm shiver and knocked him to the ground (let’s not pretend he was boxing anyone out there). Then, as he was leaving the court, he shot an “air gun” at the Pistons bench.
That was a Flagrant Foul 2 ejection and Stewart’s sixth Flagrant point of the season, putting him over the NBA’s Flagrant Foul point limit — Stewart will serve a one-game suspension without pay Friday night when the Pistons face the Mavericks, the league announced.
In addition, Stewart was fined $50,000 for “making inappropriate and objectionable gestures following his ejection.”
Stewart has a history of hard fouls that cross the line.
Every flagrant foul a player picks up “earns” him one Flagrant Foul point, and a flagrant 2 ejection is worth two points. When a player gets to five points in a season, there is an automatic one-game suspension. The way the system works, Stewart now has six points, so if he commits another Flagrant Foul this season it’s an automatic one-game suspension. If Stewart has another Flagrant Foul 2 ejection he would get an automatic two-game suspension.
Stewart brings a physicality and toughness off the bench that boosts the Pistons’ defense — they are 2.8 points per 100 possessions better defensively when he is on the court — but he’s not helping the team if he’s home sitting out a suspension.
