For the second year in a row, the Detroit Pistons will have a candidate for Rookie of the Year, this time with guard Jaden Ivey.
Ivey joined the Pistons as the 5th pick, and according to WynnBET, has the third-best odds to win the Rookie of the Year award at +550, behind Paolo Banchero (+190) and Keegan Murray (+400) and just ahead of Jabari Smith (+700). At those odds, a $25.00 bet on Ivey would net you $137.50, so not a bad payoff.
With Chet Holmgren out for the season, Ivey’s odds got a little bit better, but there are other compelling reasons to consider putting down a wager on Jaden Ivey to win Rookie of the Year.
Detroit Pistons: Why Jaden Ivey is a great bet for Rookie of the Year
Aside from having odds that pay well, there are some very real reasons why Ivey is a great bet.
Jaden Ivey is going to get attention
Not only is Jaden Ivey a very good player who will enter the NBA with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove after dropping to 5th in the draft, but he plays a style that is going to land him in the highlight reels.
Ivey is an explosive athlete who can get end-to-end as fast as anyone in the NBA and knows how to finish in spectacular fashion once he gets there. Think Russell Westbrook’s explosiveness and you’ve got a good idea of what we’ll see with Ivey.
He is also a good passer who is going to have plenty of lobs to guys like Marvin Bagley III, Jalen Duren (we already saw it in Summer League) and even Cade Cunningham. These are the types of plays that get guys in the highlight reels and top plays awards, so expect Ivey to get plenty of notice from voters, who often ignore the less-flashy players.
Ivey has the best teammate
Of the current frontrunners for Rookie of the Year, Jaden Ivey has the best teammate in Cade Cunningham, a guy who is not only going to draw a lot of attention, but whose playmaking will put Ivey in the best situations to thrive.
Ivey won’t be tasked with being “The” guy and will be the beneficiary of transition buckets, lobs and passes off the cut that are created by Cade. He can just focus on scoring and defending his position without being the primary playmaker, which should lead to some big scoring games that will get him attention from voters.
The Detroit Pistons are poised to improve
Last season both Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley were rewarded for the fact that their teams were good and they played a big role in it. You could argue that both guys were put in a better position to succeed than Cade, but it was clear that winning mattered.
Detroit is on the precipice of making a similar leap themselves, and if they do, Ivey is going to get a lot of the credit, much like Barnes and Mobley did last season. If the Pistons put themselves in the play-in race down the stretch, they are going to get a lot more eyeballs watching them, and Ivey will be given some of the credit for that improvement, which puts him in a great spot.
Ivey may not be the favorite to win Rookie of the Year, but his tasty odds coupled with the reasons above make him a solid bet.