When Jaden Ivey went down with a gruesome leg injury, we knew the Detroit Pistons were going to have to adjust and they have, pushing to an 8-5 record since he was hurt, but it hasn't been easy.
Not only is Ivey their second-leading scorer, but he’s the primary ball-handler when Cade Cunningham is out of the game, as coach JB Bickerstaff had been staggering them for this purpose prior to Ivey’s injury.
Bickerstaff clearly knows the Pistons are missing Ivey and said as much after the loss to the Cavs.
“We miss J.I., there's no doubt about it. He's extremely important to us and what we do and how we got to where we are now."
Coach Bickerstaff didn't eleborate but Ivey’s absence has affected the Pistons in many ways.
With Jaden Ivey out, Cade Cunningham has to do more
Cunningham has taken the team on his shoulders over the last month and has looked like a star at times.
But he’s also doing a lot more and has no one to defer to when other teams double him, which has led to an increase in turnovers.
Cunningham is averaging five turnovers per game with Ivey out and the Pistons have not had a reliable second scoring option. Ivey has led the Pistons in scoring nine times this season, but since he’s been out, it’s mostly been the Cade Cunningham show.
The bench is struggling to generate easy points
The Pistons’ bench is 7th in the NBA in points per game this season, averaging 37.9 bench points per game, a number that has stayed about the same since Ivey went out, which is not surprising since he is a starter.
But he was spending time leading the second unit every game and their inability to generate good shots in the half court has been evident in the eye test as well as the numbers, as their overall field goal percentage has dipped with Ivey out.
Ivey is not a pure point guard himself, but without him, the Pistons really don’t have a second guy to handle the ball, as Marcus Sasser is even less of a point guard than Ivey.
Ivey’s speed draws defenders which opens up better looks for guys like Malik Beasley, whose 3-point percentage has dipped with Ivey out.
Wear and Tear on Cade Cunningham
Cade Cunningham has been playing around the same minutes per game since Ivey’s injury, but they’ve been more intense minutes.
His usage rate has gone up in that time, and JB Bickerstaff has not been able to leave him on the bench as long as he would like in some games, spots where Ivey might have taken over for a stretch.
Given his injury history (knocks furiously on wood), Cade’s recent uptick in usage (and the number of times he’s getting fouled without calls) should be concerning to fans who worry about the toll it will take as the season continues.
The Pistons need another playmaker and scorer even with Jaden Ivey but without him, it has been a struggle at times that is not reflected in the overall record.