The Detroit Pistons will take on the Milwaukee Bucks tonight in their second preseason game and once again all eyes will be on Jaden Ivey as he continues his comeback from a broken leg.
There was plenty of talk about Ivey’s first game back, which wasn’t his finest as he tried to shake off the rust after not playing for 10 months. It showed, as he was out of sync for most of the night and struggled with the pace of the game.
There were positives as well, the biggest being that he was back on the floor and healthy, so we obviously need to extend some amount of patience to a guy who is returning from a catastrophic injury.
But Ivey is also entering his 4th season, so there are mistakes we need to stop seeing as we inch closer to the regular season. Most of this just comes down to speed, and I do think we’ll see a more relaxed Ivey tonight, which should quell some of the concerns.
Detroit Pistons preseason vs. Bucks: Jaden Ivey needs to slow down
It might seem odd to tell one of the fastest players in the league to slow down, but that’s what Ivey needs to do tonight.
He was pressing in his first game back, which you would expect, playing inefficiently at warp speed, which is where he gets into trouble. It looked like Ivey was trying to go into Flash mode before he even caught the ball and his decision-making couldn’t keep up, which led to three careless turnovers of the variety he needs to cut out.
Instead of plowing into multiple defenders tonight like he did in game one, I’d love to see Ivey with more controlled pace, see him pull up in the mid-range when he sees multiple defenders or get rid of the ball before he gets into trouble.
I’d like to see less flopping, flailing and falling to the ground, and more upright Ivey with his head up, seeing the floor and making the correct read.
The most important thing for Ivey is still the same as when he came into the league, which is how to harness his speed and use it effectively. He can’t get ahead of the play or himself, which happened several times against the Grizzlies when Ivey’s body was in 5th gear before his mind had caught up.
It’s all a matter of getting comfortable again, and that will come when the game slows down for Ivey.
Fans (including myself) overreact to every play, every game, even in the preseason, so it won’t take much more than some measured play and good decision-making to get everyone back on the Ivey bandwagon.