When Jaden Ivey broke his leg last season, it dealt a devastating blow to both him and the Detroit Pistons.
Ivey and the team were dealt another one when he suffered a different injury in the preseason that set him back once again, costing him the first 15 games of the regular season.
Since then, Ivey has played well at times but has yet to make a consistent impact, especially on offense, where he has been more tentative than we are used to seeing him. Ivey hasn’t been attacking close outs or blowing by defenders and has instead relied on shooting more from long range as part of his shot diet.
Ivey still needs time, as it’s not easy to come back from these types of injuries, especially when there isn’t a clear role for you in the rotation, but Ivey’s physical setbacks were just part of the true cost of his injury.
The Pistons still don’t know anything
We’ve entered the last two seasons with the same questions, which is how does Ivey fit with Cade Cunningham, and can he be the second star next to him?
The Pistons are no closer to answering these questions than they were at the beginning of last season, when Ivey was off a down year partly due to the coaching malpractice of Monty Williams.
While Ivey did play well last season, he only played 30 games, and the Pistons took off without him, so they didn’t get an extended look at Ivey, nor see how he performed in the playoffs.
Ivey was the presumed starter coming into the season, but another injury killed those chances, and now he’s being outplayed by two-way player Daniss Jenkins.
The trade deadline is only 16 games away, so the Pistons still won’t have the kind of data sample they’d like to make an informed decision about Ivey’s future with the team.
You’d think that would make him a clear trade target, especially considering he’s due to be a restricted free agent, but there are challenges there as well.
Jaden Ivey has limited trade value
There are teams who would still view Ivey as a potential “second draft” guy who has a ton of talent that could be developed in the right environment and with the right opportunities.
But it’s hard to imagine Ivey being the centerpiece of a big trade, as he’s still not even playing 20 minutes a game and has mostly been getting cardio out there.
Some of the luster is gone, so Ivey may have more value to the Pistons as a potential X-Factor than he does on the trade market. He’s also looking less like a guy teams will try to steal in restricted free agency and more like one that might have to accept a short-term team-friendly deal.
Jaden Ivey has lost a ton of money
Unless Ivey blows up in the second half of the season (which is entirely possible), he’s already lost a ton of money on his next contract whether it’s from the Pistons or someone else.
People were talking about Ivey as a possible $100+ million guard before the season started, but it’s hard to envision him getting anywhere near that now.
Ivey may just have to accept a short-term deal to raise his value and hope he can score big on the next one, as it’s hard to see anyone offering him a big deal with his injury history and inconsistent play so far this season.
Ivey still has time to turn it around, and it’s far too early to give up on him, as he needs a chance to find his way back into a meaningful role in the rotation, but his injuries have been a big setback to the Pistons’ roster building and to Ivey’s bank account.