ISAIAH Stewart

The injury trail started on October 5, when Stewart first showed up as day-to-day with a lower-body issue. Later that same day the listing changed to an undisclosed left-side problem. By October 6 it was identified as a left ankle injury, still day-to-day. On October 9 the status got worse. Stewart was moved to out, and a report that day said the Grizzlies' Isaiah Stewart would be out at least two weeks with the ankle. He stayed out through the middle of the month. On October 20 he was upgraded back to day-to-day. The two-week timeline from the October 9 report lines up with the estimated October 21 return date now attached to his status.

Stewart's 2026-27 numbers tell the story of a player who has barely been available. He played 2.1 minutes against Atlanta on October 5, grabbed one rebound, and posted a plus-4.0 in that short stint. That was a Grizzlies win. Since then he has not seen the floor. He did not play in the October 7 loss to Orlando, the October 9 win over Chicago, or the October 16 win over Charlotte. Memphis has gone 3-1 in the games listed with Stewart sidelined or barely used, but the rotation still needs his size and rim protection once the ankle is right.

Stewart spent last season with Detroit and played 58 games. He averaged 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.6 blocks in 22.7 minutes a night. His shooting was efficient for a big: 55.0 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three and 75.6 percent at the line, which added up to a 63.2 true shooting percentage. His usage rate sat at 16.4 percent, so he was never a high-volume option. He turned it over 1.2 times per game and finished with a plus-0.7 plus-minus. Those last-season numbers point to a low-usage, high-efficiency role player who protects the rim, which is exactly what Memphis will want when he returns.

Stewart's most recent stretch of real action came in the playoffs with Detroit against Cleveland in May. He played six games in that series, all in short bursts. His best outing was May 13, when he scored 8 points with 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 11.0 minutes and finished plus-12.0 in a loss. He played 14.5 minutes on May 7, scoring 2 points with 2 rebounds in a win. On May 9 and May 11 he had 4 points each. The final two games saw him at 4.2 and 6.2 minutes. Those were limited minutes, but they were playoff minutes, and that experience comes with him to Memphis.