After not playing basketball for the bulk of a year, it’s going to take time for Jaden Ivey to get back into the flow of things, which is a reality the Pistons have to deal with.
The Pistons have only played one preseason game, so let’s not get carried away, but Ivey looked far from ready to jump right back in and be the guy fans expect him to be.
Without making any huge offseason acquisitions, Ivey is the addition that has to matter for the Pistons, but it’s not going to happen instantly, so fans should be prepared for a bumpy start.
Ivey was sloppy with the ball and played out of control at times against Memphis, and he should obviously be given a pass given the context, but he also made several errors that are the same ones he’s been making since he entered the league, which is somewhat troubling.
As of now, we all need to exercise patience as Ivey tries to work himself back into competitive basketball form and the Pistons try to adjust to his return, which isn't as simple as just writing his name into the lineup.
Jaden Ivey isn’t the only one who has to adjust
Ivey only played 30 games last season and his teammates moved on without him, eventually making the playoffs without his services, so Detroit adjusted to his absence, but we've still seen precious little of the full core together.
Even though they all know Ivey well at this point, there will still be an adjustment period as the team re-learns how to play with him. He and Ausar Thompson have barely played together, so this is more complicated than just an injured player returning.
And we know the Ivey we are seeing now is not the one we’ll be seeing in the near future.
But it may be a few weeks before the real Ivey emerges, so we’ll all have to resist the temptation to overreact one way or another. It’s a process, but the Pistons are also a team that has aspirations and can’t wait forever.
This could put pressure on JB Bickerstaff early, as he has clearly committed to Ivey as the starter (which he should) but also has to balance his comeback with what is best for the team, which may mean shorter minutes if Ivey isn’t up to speed by the regular season.
He’ll get there eventually, but for now, the Pistons are going to have to play with the Ivey they have, not the one that will be here by midseason, which may require some early tweaks from JB Bickerstaff.