NBA fans are known for running to the extremes when it comes to opinions, which is exactly what we’ve seen since Jaden Ivey returned for the Detroit Pistons.
The poor guy has only played 27 minutes through two games but has managed to split the Pistons online fanbase between those who think Ivey is the second coming of Dwyane Wade and those who think he should be benched for two-way player Daniss Jenkins.
I saw multiple arguments in which fans (which is short for fanatic, let’s not forget) were jumping all over JB Bickerstaff for his rotations in the second game of Ivey’s return as he tries to keep 12 players happy, which is not an easy task.
That applies extra to fans, whose passion center of the brain is often twice the size as the part that handles logic.
I swear sometimes you’d never guess this team was on a 13-game winning streak and sitting in first place in the Eastern Conference.
The good news about the extreme positions on Jaden Ivey is that they are both wrong.
Let’s slow down with the Jaden Ivey takes
Depending on who you ask, Ivey was either electric in his two games, the exact thing the Pistons need for their battering ram of an offense. He’s scored 22 points in 27 minutes, looked fluid for a guy who has been out for a year and flashed exactly how he’ll help this team.
Of course, there were others who saw Ivey miss two layups and declared that “he still can’t finish” and demanded he be benched in favor of Daniss Jenkins, who is becoming a bit of a myth in Detroit.
Don’t get me wrong, Jenkins has been great, and I do think he deserves to be in the rotation, but he’s a two-way player, and something has to give when you have a 12-man rotation, which is not sustainable.
Coach JB Bickerstaff has a tough job ahead of him, but for now, he’s just trying to ease Ivey back into the lineup without disrupting the mojo they have going. With so many injuries to start the season, coach Bickerstaff is figuring out his team on the fly and trying to incorporate key new players, some of whom have barely played.
Ivey is on a minute’s restriction anyway, so for now, just enjoy the ride, as we are going to see them both for the immediate future.
If your team’s biggest problem is trying to choose between electric guards who have both played well this season, then that’s a pretty good spot to be in, which is where Detroit is right now.