The Detroit Pistons were the story of the NBA this season after more than tripling their win total and making an unexpected trip to the playoffs.
There were achingly close to beating the Knicks in the playoffs, with some big what-ifs hanging over the series, namely how things might have been different if the Pistons were at full strength.
You can’t say definitively that the Pistons would have won the series if Isaiah Stewart and Jaden Ivey had been healthy, but it’s promising that Detroit got that close to a first-round upset without them.
Promising enough that the Pistons may not feel they need to make big changes to the roster this summer, as they just took a very good Knicks team to six games with a shorthanded team whose best players are all young.
Both Stewart and Ivey have their flaws as players, but Ivey’s absence was crucial in their series against the Knicks and his return could be enough to take them to the next level.
It’s too soon to give up on Jaden Ivey with Cade Cunningham
Ivey only played 30 games this season but was showing the development the Pistons needed him to if he is going to be Cade Cunningham’s running mate for the long term.
He was hitting over 41 percent of his 3-point shots and offered them another guy who could handle the ball and get his own shot, something they desperately needed against the Knicks.
Jaden Ivey is far from a good defender, but he was making strides on that end as well. Credit to Malik Beasey and Tim Hardaway Jr. for some of this, as they were great examples to Ivey. Neither guy is a lockdown defender, but they give constant effort, which is the foundation of defense.
If you had to say what the Pistons lacked in their playoff loss to the Knicks, it would be a consistent secondary scorer who could create his own shot, which is exactly what Ivey was becoming.
An extra 15-20 points per game would have dramatically changed the series and if Ivey can come back at 100 percent, he will essentially add that to a roster that doesn’t look too far away from competing for titles, especially now that they’ve gotten some playoff experience under their belts.
It was easy to forget about Ivey this season, especially when the Pistons took off without him, but don’t sleep on what he could mean for this team. He’s going to come back with a big chip on his shoulder, ready to show he’s that guy, and if he is, the Pistons will be in great shape.