Detroit Pistons Summer League: Overreaction #3
Jaden Ivey is your Rookie of the Year!
Ivey had a good debut as well, leading the Detroit Pistons with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists.
He looked a little too amped up at times and played a bit out of control, turning it over five times, mostly when he got into the lane with his speed and had nowhere to go with it.
But he started to find his groove in the second half, and really turned his night around with his defense, which has the chance to be elite. The first thing I noticed about Ivey was how active he was in the passing lanes and how offensive players were tentative with him lurking, ready to pounce.
Ivey’s length and speed are going to lead to a whole lot of steals, and once he gets it going the other way, it’s over.
Check out a few of @IveyJaden’s insane highlights 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SCrTJx3Ta1
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) July 8, 2022
Ivey flashed his elite downhill speed a few times, most impressively on the secondary break, where he waits for his moment and then explodes down the middle of the defense for finishes at the rim.
The comparisons to Russell Westbrook make sense, as Ivey has that type of burst and athleticism at the rim.
Ivey has to learn to harness that speed, but once he started to relax, we really saw what he can do. On a side note, I love his mom Niele Ivey on the sidelines. The Ivey’s have bought into Detroit as a family, which you love to see.
It wasn’t the prettiest game I’ve ever seen, but the Detroit Pistons got the win and a couple of impressive debuts from their rookies.