Detroit Pistons: 3 bold player predictions for the home stretch

Detroit Pistons: Jaden Ivey finishes 2nd in the Rookie of the Year voting

This is probably the biggest leap, as Paolo Banchero probably already has this award wrapped up, and Bennedict Mathurin has been right behind him for most of the season.

These two players are also on better teams than the Detroit Pistons, so Ivey will have his work cut out for him if he wants to leapfrog several players to finish second.

But Ivey has been playing well of late, arguably better than Mathurin, whose shooting has plummeted over the last 20 games. Ivey is shooting 36 percent from long range while Mathurin is hitting just 26.8 percent of his attempts in that stretch and they are both shooting the same number per game.

If this continues, Ivey should get consideration from voters, especially when you consider his overall numbers this season. Ivey is the only rookie in the NBA who has logged at least 700 points, 200 assists and 200 rebounds, showing his overall impact on the game.

It’s also possible he’ll get a boost of confidence from the Rising Stars Challenge and continue his run of shooting well from the mid-range and 3-point line, ticking up his overall scoring average closer to Mathurin’s.

Ivey would really have to dominate to get some attention from the national media, so this one is unlikely, but if you look at the full picture, he definitely has an argument to finish at least third.