Jaden Ivey should learn vital lesson from Pistons success without him

Detroit Pistons v New York Knicks
Detroit Pistons v New York Knicks | Elsa/GettyImages

No person had more mixed feelings about the Detroit Pistons’ success last season than Jaden Ivey, who was certainly happy for his teammates, but also gutted that they were doing it without him. However, that time seething on the bench could end up being beneficial to Ivey’s growth and fit with Cade Cunningham. 

Ivey was on his way to proving he’s a backcourt match with Cunningham, which is still the biggest long-term question about his fit on the Pistons. Ivey was shooting 45 percent on catch-and-shoot 3’s, a number that would be tough for him to sustain but at least shows growth. 

Zach Lowe and Howard Beck talked about Ivey as one of their most intriguing players of next season on a recent episode of the “Zach Lowe Show,” saying that he still had a lot to prove when it comes to his fit with Cade, but that he might have an advantage after sitting out. 

Ivey got to watch his team carry on without him and have success, which has to be painful, but may also give him perspective about how he can best help this team succeed, or as Beck said, come back “wiser about how to deploy his skills.” 

I’m sure Ivey learned plenty of somewhat painful lessons from the bench, but how does that translate to next season? 

How does Jaden Ivey break out next to Cade Cunningham? 

Ivey was already doing some of the things he needs to do to be a complementary guard with Cade, namely knocking down shots off the ball and shooting the 3-ball at a high rate. 

That obviously needs to continue, but for Ivey to be that secondary star the Pistons need, he’ll have to continue to grow and develop off the ball as well as on it. 

That means making better decisions with the ball as a secondary attacker. You can’t have your secondary ball handler turning the ball over 3.5 times a game. Ivey has to get better about making quick decisions in the floater area and knocking down more of those shots as well as giving up earlier when it isn’t there. 

But playing off the ball isn’t just about scoring. Ivey needs to be a better screen setter so that he and Cade can run two-man action together in the pick-and-roll. He needs to move better without the ball, to take defenders away from the play even when he’s not involved with it. Ivey has to realize that his quickness and movement matter even when he doesn’t have the ball and might not get it on that possession. 

When he does get the ball, he has to be ready to attack off the dribble and do it with purpose. He has to eliminate the plays where he jumps in the air without a plan or drives into traffic with his head down. He has to be ready to pull up, kick out or dump off when he does get into the paint, with quicker decision making that will hopefully come with increased reps. 

Maybe most importantly, Ivey has to be more impactful on defense. The Pistons are losing a pesky on-the-ball defender in Dennis Schroder, but Ivey can absolutely provide that skill. He started doing it last season, picking up his man full court and using his quickness to make them work, which is something I hope we see more of, as Ivey can affect the play before it even starts in the halfcourt. 

No young player wants to watch his team go to the playoffs while sitting on the bench, but Ivey got to ingest a lot of basketball last season, which should benefit his game.