Detroit Pistons: Jaden Ivey all alone in his rookie class

Jaden Ivey has 23 more games to prove he deserves some consideration for Rookie of the Year. The Detroit Pistons’ guard is unlikely to win, as Paolo Banchero all but has the award wrapped up, but he does deserve more love than he is currently getting.

Ivey has been thrust into a prominent role with Cade Cunningham out for the season, which has helped contribute to his high turnover rate. He also needs a world of improvement on defense, as he is often caught flat footed or ball watching and has been blown by on the perimeter more times than we’d care to remember.

But Ivey is also top-5 in at least nine categories for rookies including:

• Minutes played: 3rd
• Field Goals: 3rd
• 3-point makes: 5th
• Free Throws: 3rd
• Free Throw attempts: 3rd
• Assists: 1st
• Steals: 4th
• Points: 3rd
• Points per game: 3rd

Ivey is also 10th in rebounds (not bad for a guard) and 12th in blocks, but even with all of these stats piling up, he has still continued to slide in some rookie rankings.

Jaden Ivey has also achieved something this season that no other rookie has, which is a testament to his all-around game.

Detroit Pistons: Jaden Ivey’s all-around numbers set him apart

Jaden Ivey has achieved something this season that no other rookie has, which is to post at least 700 points, 200 assists and 200 rebounds.

Ivey is one of only two players to have more than 200 assists so far this season, with 253 and counting. He already has 217 rebounds, which is about half of what his teammate Jalen Duren, who leads all rookies, has at this point in the season. Ivey has also tallied 838 points, which is 3rd behind Banchero and Bennedict Mathurin, who are both tied with 1033 total.

Only three players achieved this feat in all of last season, Franz Wagner, Scottie Barnes and Ivey’s teammate Cade Cunningham, and that was in a full season, Ivey still has 23 games to go.

Given the trajectory of those three players, fans of the Detroit Pistons should be excited about Ivey’s future, as he has shown he can impact the game in a number of ways and is one of the best all-around rookies in his class.