Pistons' Isaiah Stewart Hypes Himself as NBA's Top Defensive Player, Tracks Rival Players' Stats

Detroit Pistons star Isaiah Stewart feels he has established himself as the NBA's top defender while helping lead his team to the best record in the league.

"I'm the best defensive player in the league," Stewart told ESPN's Vincent Goodwill.

According to Goodwill, "Stewart knows his defensive stats and tracks how well other players around the league are doing in similar categories."

Those stats are currently providing Stewart with evidence as to why he could be considered the top rim defender in the league this season.

Stewart has held opponents to a 42.7 percent shooting rate from the rim, the lowest rate of any player who has defended at least 100 field goal attempts against this season, per NBA.com.

Stewart earned the title of Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for December after establishing himself as the only NBA player under 6-foot-7 to post more than two blocks per game.

His efforts have helped the Pistons head into Friday ranked second only to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder with a team defensive rating of 108.5.

Stewart is currently serving out a seven-game suspension for his involvement in a fight during a Feb. 9 win against the Charlotte Hornets.

He will sit out Friday's matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers and a Sunday road game against the Orlando Magic before he is eligible to return for a Tuesday away game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.