Jaden Ivey has to improve his defense to be worthy of a big second contract, and he will get a chance to prove himself under JB Bickerstaff, who is the perfect coach to unlock him as a defender.
We talk a lot about “improving” on defense, which can be tough to quantify at times. In Ivey’s first two seasons, it didn’t take advanced analytics to see the problem, as they were glaring to the naked eye. Ivey was out of position (A LOT) and often caught flatfooted watching the play happen, something he was able to get away with more in college because of his elite speed.
We saw less of that Ivey in the 30 games he played last season, as he was more engaged and at least seemed to know where to be, something we couldn’t say about his first two seasons.
Ivey already does some things well that contribute to a good team defense. He nabbed nearly a steal per game last season and he grabbed 2.8 defensive rebounds per game. Defensive rebounds close out possessions, so should be considered part of a player’s contributions on that end.
But the fact remains that the Pistons’ defense was much better with Ivey off the floor, something that will have to change. But what does that look like for Jaden Ivey? Can JB Bickerstaff be the one to unlock him as a defender?
Jaden Ivey needs to be more disruptive
Ivey has elite speed and a great wingspan, two defensive weapons he needs to make better use of.
One way to do this is by picking up opposing point guards full court for stretches, making them work and not allowing the offense to set and target Ivey in pick-and-rolls, where he has not been effective.
Ivey gets screened easily (compare him to how Ausar Thompson eludes screens), and as quick as he is, doesn’t always move well laterally, which makes him a target in the pick-and-roll in the half-court.
He could mitigate some of that by defending end to end, picking up the ballhandler early before the screen comes and forcing him to give up the ball, which disrupts the half-court offensive set and forces the other team to use time to get into it in the first place.
Ivey also needs to work off Ausar Thompson in these situations. Thompson often picks up his man full court and forces him to make risky cross-court passes that Ivey should be able to feast on like a corner back blowing up a passing route and taking it for a pick six.
Ivey is deadly in transition and can use his speed to flash into passing lanes before the other team even crosses halfcourt. Ivey’s defensive weaknesses could be somewhat covered with this adjustment, which keeps most of his involvement in the defense in areas that benefit his strengths.
We did see this some last season before Ivey got hurt, so it’s an adjustment I hope JB Bickerstaff can use to unlock Ivey’s defensive potential.