Jaden Ivey hopes to have a strong bounce back year after a season-ending injury just 30 games into last season. With the departure of some veteran guards from last season’s roster, Ivey will be asked to do more on both ends of the court. On defense, this means he will play a key role for the Detroit Pistons as a chaser and perimeter lockdown defender.
Jaden Ivey has a key role on the Detroit Pistons' defense
The Pistons' defense is built around their strength on the interior, where Jalen Duren or Isaiah Stewart will typically be protecting the rim, and the prowess of athletic phenoms Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland. They have some other solid defenders on the roster but the perimeter players are generally not the strongest. In the starting lineup, Jaden Ivey will likely be asked to chase off-ball shooters around screens and guard secondary options. Ausar Thompson will typically handle the primary assignment but he can’t be everywhere at once.
For teams with elite movement shooters - think Malik Beasley last season or prime Klay Thompson - Ivey makes the most sense as a chaser. His speed should allow him to keep up with even the most active movers, and it will help conserve some of Cade Cunningham’s energy for the offensive end. Cade still has an important role to play in the defense too, but Ivey is better suited to guard shooters. Those shooters are becoming an increasingly important part of every NBA team’s offense, not only because of the points they score directly but also because of the breakdowns they can cause when they get open. So Ivey’s performance guarding them will have a huge impact on the team’s defense.
Ivey will also likely find himself guarding his fair share of elite players on the perimeter, especially when they are the secondary option on their team. For example, when playing the Cleveland Cavaliers, Ausar would guard Donovan Mitchell while Ivey would take the Darius Garland matchup. Garland is not as elite of a talent as Mitchell but he can still score and make plays for others at an All-Star level against weak defenders. With the amount of talent in the NBA now, many teams have very good secondary options who can go off on any given night, and it’ll be Jaden Ivey’s responsibility to stop them.
Ivey has the athleticism to be a good defender, and he was showing signs of it last season, but for him to reach All-Star level he has to be more than just average on the defensive end.