Jaden Ivey’s fit and contract extensions have become the biggest question mark of the Pistons’ identity going into next season. The fanbase swings widely on how they rate him, and whether he is worth extending for a big contract without seeing more from him. Ivey will be set on proving his value from the beginning of the season, but his true value won’t be displayed until the playoffs begin.
Last season, Jaden Ivey had terrible luck with timing. Just as he was having a breakout season shooting the ball, he suffered a devastating broken leg 30 games in which ended his season. At the same time, Ausar Thompson was ramping back up after dealing with his own scary injury the season prior. And Ausar’s impact helped the Pistons finish 30-22 in the games without Ivey, on pace for 47 wins across a full season.
Behind the brilliance of All-NBA player Cade Cunningham and a strong defense, the Pistons proved they could win in the regular season without Ivey. They also picked up Dennis Schroder at the trade deadline to stabilize the second unit, although he has since left for the Kings.
Jaden Ivey: Key Piece for the Playoffs
The Pistons did play a very competitive series in the playoffs against the Knicks. Most of the games in the six-game series were extremely close, but the Pistons’ flaws were obvious. In particular, the Knicks exploited the Pistons’ lack of a second star by relentlessly blitzing Cade and forcing him into poor efficiency and high turnovers.
In that series, Cade shot just 43 percent from the field and an abysmal 18 percent from three. Some of this may just be from the cardio load of getting all the way through the 82-game regular season and playing additional intense basketball on top of that. But the Knicks defended him like they were daring anyone else to beat them.
And that person might be Jaden Ivey. Ivey is fantastic at playing off of Cunningham, especially if his shooting numbers from last year (41% from three) are legit. With that sort of shooting and his speed attacking closeouts, Ivey can be the ultimate release valve when there is too much pressure on Cade.
This may not always be necessary in the regular season when teams aren’t planning for the Pistons as intensely. But in the playoffs, a secondary star can absolutely be the difference in a series.
Whether or not Ivey is able to perform in next year’s postseason can be the deciding factor in his next contract. For this reason, we may not see Ivey receive an extension anytime soon. Trajan Langdon will likely want to see if he’s worth big money in the playoffs before committing to a contract.