Jaden Ivey has only been back for two games and is on a minute’s limitation, but he’s already showing exactly what he’ll provide for the Detroit Pistons, which is scoring in bunches.
Ivey dropped 12 points in eleven and a half minutes last night against the Pacers, coming off the bench and providing lightning-in-a-bottle scoring. The wild thing is that Ivey blew two uncontested layups just after entering the game, so could have easily had 16 points in just over 11 minutes.
It’s hard to say that a team that is 15-2 and just tied the longest winning streak in franchise history has a big need, but bench scoring would be one of them, as the Pistons’ bench was barely staying afloat with a +.6 net rating and sitting at 19th in the league in points per game.
Ivey won’t always be coming off the bench, but right now it’s the perfect spot for him, as he can be the premier option and show off his scoring chops.
Jaden Ivey doing his best Malik Beasley impersonation
Bench scoring was something the Pistons did not lack last season, mostly due to Malik Beasley, who is currently sitting at home watching, as he awaits the results of multiple investigations into gambling.
Beasley bailed the Pistons out many times last season when the early offense sputtered, as he would come in throwing heat and often score in bunches just like Ivey did last night.
Right now, the Pistons’ bench five could beat a lot of teams, as Jaden Ivey, Daniss Jenkins, Caris LeVert, Ron Holland and Isaiah Stewart is a solid, well-balanced lineup.
Ivey, Jenkins and LeVert can provide the scoring and ballhandling, while Holland and Stewart do all of the dirty work.
And Ivey has already shown signs that he’s improved in areas he needed to. His first bucket last night was a floater where Ivey made a quick decision, pulled up and drained it. This is a play he struggled with last season, and if he can knock that down regularly, he’s going to be tough to stop, as defenses have to sag off him because of his elite quickness.
It’s only been two games, but Ivey is showing the same shooting touch he had last season when he shot over 41 percent from long range. He’s hit half of his 3-point shots so far in an obviously tiny sample size.
Jaden Ivey won’t be coming off the bench forever, but right now, it’s a great place for him as he ramps into game condition, as he can score without pressure and get into a rhythm before he resumes his starting job.
Of course, there is a distinct, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” vibe around this team. Duncan Robinson is playing great, and the Pistons may not want to tinker too much, so we may see Ivey coming off the bench for the foreseeable future.