Mavs Interview of Isaiah Stewart (Pre-draft)

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Mavs Interview of Isaiah Stewart (Pre-draft)

We chatted with Isiah Stewart before drifting him. The following article is a summary of that conversation. The interview was so powerful that it made me willing to no longer think about drafting Alex Fudge but instead, part with Breanna Stewart to move up in the draft.

When I sat down with Isaiah, I thought I knew everything about him since he has been the most anticipated player to come out of the draft since Kirkland, and the paper trail on his career is already well documented. But the player I see before me is young, bold, and confident to the point of arrogance, whose IQ is off the charts. I mean, he did graduate from high school at 15, before heading to North Carolina State.

(The interview starts off slow and on the wrong foot.)

(To see how he would react to a purposefully irritating question.)
I asked: What kind of animal would you be if you were an animal?
Isaiah: A Honey Badger (He said, irritated by the pointless question)

Me: You've had a fouling problem in college; how do you play to address it?
(He looks at me, stone cold in the eye for 15 seconds; it was a long day, and he was over this interview)
Isaiah: I don't.

(I thought I could see where this was going)

Me: Why take that one year in college? Why not just go straight into the NBA?

(For the first time, he seemed interested in the question)

Isaiah: I think there is something to learn from each step in the levels of basketball. I also wanted to win an NCAA title like my hero Larry Bird did.

Me: If you could play for any coach in an era, who would it be?
Isaiah: Pat Riley, He'd hand out knee and elbow pads before every proactive. My kinda coach.

Me: If you could join a team from any area, who would you join?
Isaiah: The Piston with Isaiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Dennis Rodman, they knew how basketball should be played.

(He's clearly a student of the game)

Me: What makes you better than everyone else in this draft class?
Isaiah: They've called me a phenom ever since he can remember. They say they have never seen someone as skilled as me entering the league, which should put more and more pressure on me, but it doesn't because I know how good I am. I have always been the best player on the floor, on any floor, my entire high school or college career. But what people fail to realize is that my dedication to the gym and work ethic make me the best. When you pair my relentless hustle with my natural raw abilities, it is what has made me a force throughout my career.

So I asked: There is a fine line between Denis Rodman and Ron Artest. What puts you on the right side of that line?
Isaiah: My mind. You have to keep it on the court. It's basketball, and if we want to win, I need to be on the court. But honestly, god help if they want to go there.

(It seems as though he hasn't decided which side of the line he wants to be on.)

Me: What is the most important part of your game?
Isaiah: My defense. I am constantly looking to improve it. I've been watching where the league is going and studying how to defend the best player in the league, like Safi or Sion. They all have their weakness, and I know how to hold them in check. Once I have them on the court, it is what I call "Streetball" time.

As a kid, I used to play streetball because it was the only place I could find real competition. I had to try and rip the ball away from grown men. I'd score while getting raked across the arms on a layup, but worse of all, I'd have to dive on the cement for a loose ball. Hustling in an NBA game is easy once you've dived for a loose ball on cement.

(He shows me the scars to prove it, one of which is a curly que scar in the shape of a smile on his left elbow.)

Me: Do you have any regrets in your young basketball career?
Isaiah: I have one regret. I regret playing AAU ball and not sticking with "Streetball" because not only is it more of a bloodsport, but it is also like soccer: constantly passing and also, weirdly, a lot of 1 on 1. It is also sometimes a more straightforward game of just roasting the defender in front of you, and I have never fully mastered it.
Also, it brings a level of toughness that I never ran into in AAU, high school or college. More than once, my "streetball" game ended not by winning but by simply having more players because a fight broke out, and someone from the game had to get their nose reset. Streetball taught me to play hard always and maybe a little dirty. My teammates will have to adopt this philosophy if they want to stay on my team.

And There it was. That was what I needed to hear. That was all I needed. I thanked him and headed home, having answered my real question. ---Will Isaiah be a superstar? After meeting and talking with him, I know he will be.

When I return to the arena, I reflect on our conversation and watch more films on him. I can tell he has this deep-seated anger- that manifests in the drive to play harder, foul harder, rebound with elbows, set bone-chilling screens, and posterize players. He doesn't do it for the glory; he does it for the feeling of physicality, like a football player or a UFC fighter. He will fit right in with the Mavs style of basketball.

(We were looking to match the intensity of Jonathan Kaminga to keep him in check, and Stewart looks like the guy to do it.)

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