How Monty Williams will help Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey

Detroit Pistons: How Monty Williams will help Jaden Ivey

Some people are natural leaders, while others have leadership qualities that aren’t fully matured. Ivey is a spectacular player and by all accounts a good human being; what will set him apart will be an ability to easy Cade’s load and make teammates better.

While he will often have to defer to the Motocade, Ivey has his own incredible engine. Williams is known for his .5-second offense and that should, in time, play to Ivey’s strengths. The offense emphasizes the importance of making quick decisions, that is, shooting, passing, or dribbling within half a second of getting the ball. Ivey can become a dominant player in such an orchestration, although doing so may take some time.

In Williams’ scheme, endless opportunities to attack the basket are created, which is an Ivey specialty. He moves so quickly that he should get his share of easy buckets. If Ivey’s lane to the rim is cut off by the time he has reached the extended free throw line, he should then look to pass to the open shooter. This is tailored-made to his strengths, and if he masters it, then the sky is the limit.

Ivey is going to have to learn how to be the 1B All-NBA caliber backcourt complement to Cade that Joe Dumars was to Isiah Thomas. His doing so will elevate the entire team to a level that it hasn’t reached in years.