Every NBA fanbase is prone to overreactions, including the fans of the Detroit Pistons.
Social media has allowed fans to not only live and die with every game, but with every shot, which leads to some hilarious moments. It happened in game one against Miami when the Pistons went down by 19 points in the second half.
I saw so many “This team sucks!” “Weaver should be fired!” “Nothing has changed!” posts from fans who were saying “CADE CUNNINGHAM IS HIM!” 10 minutes later when the Pistons were back in the game and had a chance to win.
Emotional ups and downs are a part of being a fan and I understand, we’ve all had them.
That’s why I am trying to take a tempered approach to the whole Jaden Ivey situation, as we are just one game into the season and much can change from game to game, but there were those in the fanbase who are already concerned, irate and making irrational comparisons.
Early concerns over Jaden Ivey
Jaden Ivey was supposed to be the starting two guard, Cade Cunningham’s sidekick and part of the backcourt that would lead the Detroit Pistons back to glory.
But all of this was put on pause when new head coach Monty Williams yanked him from the starting lineup, instead bringing Jaden Ivey off the bench as a 6th man.
Ivey not only stunk in game one, but looked very uncomfortable in the process, as he turned the ball over several times, couldn’t get going offensively and had multiple defensive lapses that forced Monty Williams to burn timeouts in the second half.
So I understand why some fans are concerned, as Ivey was a top-5 pick, a guy we expected to blow up in year two.
And he still very well might.
Ivey is adjusting to a brand-new role after spending all last season leading the offense, taking as many shots as he wanted, and playing through egregious defensive mistakes with impunity. This is part of why tanking can be so toxic, it leads to bad habits.
Monty Williams is trying to break those habits by getting Ivey to commit to defense to earn minutes, you know, like a real NBA team.
It will take some time for Ivey to adjust to playing more off the ball and playing in a bench role, so we can expect some early struggles. But he is too talented not to get there, so I have every confidence he will.
I understand the concerns. What I don’t understand is the anger.
Some Detroit Pistons fans are already losing it over Jaden Ivey
I get the concerns. Ivey only played 17 minutes in game one and there were plenty of fans who didn’t understand why Killian Hayes was playing so much considering he too couldn’t make a shot.
The answer was obvious if you actually watched the game, as Hayes’ defense in the second half was part of the reason the Pistons got back into it. He came up with some key stops against Jimmy Butler, and sorry, you’re not getting those stops from Ivey or Marcus Sasser.
But that didn’t prevent a small group of fans (how do they all find me?) on social media ranting about Monty Williams and how he is treating Jaden Ivey. “It’s criminal!” “He’s ruining Ivey!”
I’m not going to put anyone on blast by posting their rants here (also, I find them tedious), but suffice it to say I got more vitriol than expected, most of it aimed at Monty Williams. One very balanced and totally not deranged individual suggested to me that Williams should be fired after the first game. Take a breath there, fella.
I get that these fans represent a small portion of the fanbase, but I think this is a theme we are going to see all season until Ivey is playing well. People need to relax, as Ivey is still young and will need time to figure out how he fits into his new role with new teammates.
And he will get there, as Ivey is a hard worker, wants to be great in Detroit and has the mentality to persevere through the first challenge of his young career.
Jaden Ivey is not Deandre Ayton
Monty Williams was fired from the Phoenix Suns, partly because of their perceived failures in the playoffs. He also butted heads with some of his players, and some fans already think that is materializing with Ivey as it did with Deandre Ayton of the Suns.
Again, relax.
Forcing a player to earn minutes is how you change a losing culture, as accountability matters if you are actually trying to win games. The Pistons weren’t last season, so they let Ivey do whatever he wanted, which made sense.
It doesn’t anymore and Jaden Ivey would be the first to recognize that. Everyone who has ever played with or coached Ivey raves about his work ethic, his IQ and his desire to win, so I have no doubt he will figure this out and that he gets what Monty Williams is trying to do.
This isn’t an Ayton situation where you have an unhappy player openly sulking and arguing with his coach. By the way, the Suns couldn’t get rid of Ayton fast enough and shipped him out shortly after Williams, so I highly doubt he had anything to do with Monty getting fired.
Steel sharpens steel and I believe Ivey will come out of this as a better player. He’ll embrace the role and thrive in it eventually, but we need to give it more than one game.
So I get the concerns, but save the anger and “Monty should be fired!” stuff, as it is nonsensical, especially when Williams could be the coach to get the most out of Jaden Ivey.