Huge overreactions to Pistons preseason win over Thunder

Jaden Ivey has been benched!

That may be an overstatement, as it’s not like Jaden Ivey is out of the rotation, but he is out of the starting lineup and that may not just be preseason mind games.

Even with three starters out with injury, Ivey still came off the bench last night, which tells me Monty Williams is preparing him for a 6th man role.

This isn’t the worst thing for Ivey, who needs to improve defensively and is still going to be playing “starter’s minutes” even if he comes off the bench.

This could be the best thing for him, as he can dominate bench opponents and act as the primary scorer when he comes into the game.

I also think this is how you change the culture from one of losing and entitlement to one of winning and accountability. For the last several seasons we’ve watched the Pistons’ young players rewarded with big minutes and roles that they didn’t really have to earn, as there was no competition. They weren’t benched for mistakes and were often allowed to go through the motions, as the team had no intention of winning.

I’m not saying this necessarily applies to Ivey, nor that his benching is being done as punishment, but there is nothing wrong with asking for accountability on defense, where Ivey has not always given full effort.

This doesn’t mean it’s permanent, or that we won’t see Ivey in the starting five this season, but for now the Pistons appear to be prepping him for a role off the bench.