Jaden Ivey has played 20 games for the Detroit Pistons this season after missing the first 15 with an injury, so it seems like a perfect time to evaluate his performance so far.
I’ve been beating the patience drum with Ivey, as I think he’s been handed a tough task, which is to try to return from a devastating injury to a team that didn’t have a clear role for him. It wasn’t like Ivey just came back into the starting lineup, he’s had to work his way off the bench and try to find a rhythm and role playing in short bursts, which is not easy.
It’s especially not easy when you’re on the best team in the Eastern Conference that is trying to win every game and doesn’t have the luxury of throwing Ivey right back into the fire to work out the kinks.
I still expect Ivey to contribute at some point and to play a meaningful role on this team, but it would be hard to argue that he has up until this point in the season. So even though more patience is warranted, it’s natural to feel some concern about his performance after 20 games.
Jaden Ivey has lost some burst
Ivey’s trademark burst has been somewhat diminished since his return, as he is not blowing by defenders like he used to.
Twice last night against the Cavs (that I noticed) Ivey got the ball on the wing with the defense scrambling and didn’t even attempt to blow by the close out. I found myself screaming “GO!!” at the TV waiting for Ivey to blow by the guy, but he didn’t, instead opting for pull up shots.
His lateral movement on defense has been fine, in fact, I’d say Ivey’s defense has been the best part of his game so far, but he’s not getting downhill like he once did. That could be the injury still hampering him, but it’s most likely a confidence thing.
Ivey needs to be the secondary attacker at times when Cade Cunningham draws the defense, and so far, we’ve not seen him doing it with the same burst or confidence, which is concerning.
Jaden Ivey doesn’t have a real role on the team
If you had to ask me what Jaden Ivey’s role on the Pistons is, I wouldn’t know what to say. He’s clearly not a primary creator and hasn’t looked to attack much off the bounce.
He’s now launching 3-point shots at the highest rate of his career, as they are accounting for just under half of his total shots. He’s hit 37 percent of them so far, but Ivey has to be more than just a catch-and-shoot guy, as that has never been his game.
Last night would have been the perfect time for Ivey to assert himself, but he never did, instead, he watched Daniss Jenkins go off again (more on him in a second), while being a mostly non-factor on offense.
Ivey is really the only player on the team whose role is still unclear at this point in the season, which is concerning considering he came into it as the projected starter.
Jaden Ivey is getting outplayed by his backups
Ivey has been soundly outplayed by Daniss Jenkins and arguably even Marcus Sasser, who have both had big games this season in even more inconsistent minutes than Ivey is getting.
Jenkins is a two-way and Sasser is on a minimum deal, so while it is great they are producing, it puts a bigger microscope on Ivey, who will be looking for a huge pay raise at the end of the season that will have him making five or six times what Jenkins and Sasser make combined.
As of right now, that contract is not coming, and it may not if Jenkins and Sasser continue to play well on much cheaper deals that would allow the Pistons to invest elsewhere.
It’s only been 20 games, and I am still hoping for Ivey to turn things around. He hasn’t been terrible by any means, but he hasn’t been much of a factor either, which is concerning as the trade deadline approaches.