Detroit Pistons player development grades for the season: The Rookies

The 2022-2023 Detroit Pistons Lottery picks

During the last off-season, the Detroit Pistons landed two athletic young players that some have argued could have been the two of the most athletically gifted players in the draft-class in Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren. Both young players were recently named to the All-NBA Rookie Second Team, continuing a recent streak of solid picks by the Detroit Pistons. Here we will look at how both of these players fared developmentally over the course of the season.

Jaden Ivey

Jaden Ivey, drafted as the 5th pick of the 2022 draft, fell to the Detroit Pistons in what was actually a bit of a surprise. Widely expected to be picked 4th by the Kings, it was a pleasant surprise for many, especially Ivey, who had called the Detroit Pistons his first choice due to family ties and history with the Detroit metro area. On paper, Jaden Ivey was a near-perfect fit in the backcourt next to Cade Cunningham. His talents, especially his burst and speed, were factors that could provide a viable threat next to Cade. Jaden Ivey was a player that could compensate for things that were weak aspects in Cade’s toolset, just as Cunningham could fill out the weak parts in Ivey’s game, creating a truly dynamic backcourt pairing.

There were questions coming into the draft about Jaden Ivey’s shooting, particularly from beyond the arc. As a score-first guard, there was also a big question mark about his vision and passing.

As we are all fully aware, shooting efficiency has been a weak point for this young Detroit Pistons team. This is the case with most young teams, as reps are needed to slow the game down. Many project the shooting percentages to normalize with experience. In particular, once the Detroit Pistons surround the backcourt with some efficient shooting, both Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham should see both their assists and their percentages increase from getting better looks.

So how did Jaden Ivey fare with these concerns? Was there improvement in Ivey’s rookie season?

Jaden Ivey shot almost 42 percent from the field this season on just over 13 attempts per game. When compared to his last season at Purdue, we see that his numbers have only dipped slightly. In college he shot about 46 percent on around 12 attempts per game. Of note was Ivey’s 3-point shooting, something that was a big concern coming into the league. His first year at Purdue, he did not shoot the three ball well. However, there was a big jump in efficiency in his final college season. He shot around 36 percent on just over five attempts per game, while at Purdue. For the Pistons, he shot 34 percent on slightly more attempts attempts per game. Overall, this illustrates that the shooting concerns may not have been as problematic as originally thought, as the improvement shown in his last year at Purdue appears to be development in his jump shot rather than simply a good shooting year.

Once Cade Cunningham went down to injury, the backcourt featured Killian Hayes at the lead guard spot. However, Ivey was eventually moved to the point in order to develop that passing and court awareness. Including his post All-Star break surge, Jaden Ivey averaged a tad over five assists per game against a little over three turnovers. The turnover numbers should decrease as Cade Cunningham resumes his lead guard duties. Ivey’s development in the passing category this season only opens up another weapon that enables Cunningham to spend some time off the ball as well.

Overall, Ivey’s development was definitely a plus. Getting the turnovers down a bit while improving on the efficiency should be the focus for next season, as well as turning up the dial on defense. Cade Cunningham’s return to the court should also result in more open looks, as attention is drawn away from Ivey a bit.

Season Grade: A-

Ivey looks to be a solid backcourt partner to Cade Cunningham. Development this season with Cunningham out showed some potential in areas that were questions at the beginning of the season. His improved three-point numbers during his final season at Purdue appear to be an improvement and not an outlier. The added passing to his toolkit opens up additional options for the Detroit Pistons moving forward.