Isaiah Stewart
C, Washington · 2020 NBA Draft, 1st round, pick #16 (POR)
Why he was overlooked Patterns
Nothing in our pre-draft data flagged him as a steal: his age, school, testing and position profile looked like a typical pick in his range. The gap opened after the draft, on the field.
- Pre-draft rankings
ESPN's pre-draft board ranked him #27 (#3 at his position); he went #16, 11 spots earlier. So teams were actually higher on him than the media board was; everyone underrated him.
Since 2000, picks in this group beat their draft slot 33.8% of the time (272 players, 2000–2021 classes) vs. 50% for a typical pick.
- Age
19.1 years old on draft night (born 2001-05-22).
Since 2000, picks in this group beat their draft slot 51.7% of the time (300 players, 2000–2021 classes) vs. 50% for a typical pick.
- Path to the draft
Played college basketball at Washington.
Since 2000, picks in this group beat their draft slot 53.2% of the time (1,015 players, 2000–2021 classes) vs. 50% for a typical pick.
- Position
C (ESPN draft listing).
Since 2000, picks in this group beat their draft slot 51.1% of the time (182 players, 2000–2021 classes) vs. 50% for a typical pick.
- Availability
Played 368 games over 7 NBA seasons (~64% of a full 82-game schedule each year).
Every line comes from data: Basketball-Reference career data; ESPN's draft profile; Wikidata birth dates. No scouting reports or quotes. Green = pointed toward a steal for him.
Career numberslive
| Seasons | 7 |
| Games | 368 |
| Minutes / game | 24.2 |
| Points / game | 8.8 |
| Rebounds / game | 6.7 |
| Assists / game | 1.3 |
| Win Shares (career) | 19.6 |
| VORP | 1.1 |
| Box Plus/Minus | -1.5 |
| 2026-27 so far | 2 GP, 8.5 PPG (ESPN) |
Career Win Shares + VORP (Basketball-Reference, through 2025-26) + 2026-27 estimates from ESPN season stats.
The 2020 class: draft pick vs. redraft rank Full redraft
Each dot is a 2020 pick. Dashed line = typical redraft rank for each slot (2000–2021 classes). Above the line = beat his slot.
How players like him did
| Pre-draft rankings Taken 10+ picks before ESPN's rank | 33.8% n=272 | |
| Age Under 20 | 51.7% n=300 | |
| Path to the draft US college | 53.2% n=1,015 | |
| Position Center | 51.1% n=182 |
Share of 2000–2021 picks with the same trait who beat their draft slot. Line = 50%.
Measurables & pre-draft
| Height / weight | 6' 9", 250 lbs |
| Age on draft night | 19.1 |
| Born | 2001-05-22 |
| ESPN pre-draft rank | #27 overall (#3 C) |
Picked around him 2020 redraft
| 13 | Kira Lewis Jr. | redraft #37 |
| 14 | Aaron Nesmith | redraft #26 |
| 15 | Cole Anthony | redraft #20 |
| 17 | Aleksej Pokusevski | redraft #55 |
| 18 | Josh Green | redraft #27 |
| 19 | Saddiq Bey | redraft #10 |
How verdicts and reasons are computed: methodology. Steal / bust = 15+ spots better / worse than the typical redraft rank for the slot.