Pistons player preview: Jaden Ivey can finally prove he belongs

Jaden Ivey, the Detroit Pistons' fifth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, has had an inconsistent start to his career. In his rookie year, after Cade Cunningham suffered an injury, Jaden took on many of the primary ball-handling duties. He showed some real flashes in that role (my mind always goes to a loss against the Raptors where he made a ton of great plays in the fourth quarter). Conversely, sophomore Jaden was dragged around in terms of roles and minutes distribution under Monty Williams. As a result, he looked completely unsure and his shooting and overall game were inconsistent as hell.

Third year isn't a defining year for his career – Jaden Ivey is definitely an NBA-level guard as we can't tell, just to randomly pull a name out of thin air: Killian Hayes. As far as expectations go, however, this is the year we answer a lot of questions about Ivey.

Is Jaden Ivey a starter guard or a powerhouse bench guard? Is he a “fun max” player (the post-rookie maximum contract) or a guy who will have to resort to restricted free agency to get a second contract? Is he a complement or complement to Cade Cunningham? Pistons fans should have an answer to these questions by March 2025.

Offensive expectations

Jaden Ivey's role in the rotation, fortunately, seems clear: start alongside Cade Cunningham and then alternate with him to lead mostly or exclusively bench-based units. If you're alongside Cade, you'll want Jaden to make open threes on a regular basis, execute pick-and-rolls on the secondary when the ball is turning, and use his speed and athleticism to make cuts and runs in the halfcourt offense Dumpoff passes to make easy throws.

When Jaden is running the bench units, you want him to initiate the offense cleanly and keep his turnovers down (also less of a “what the hell was he thinking?” kind). Ivey was a very productive player in isolation situations last season, but at times it felt very stagnant, with eight guys on the court watching Ivey and his defender dance with each other. Particularly when he's running the bench lineups, you'd like to see Ivey keep the ball moving, involve other players in the offense, and shift the decision-making burden to his teammates.

Luckily, we've seen great signs so far in pre-season. Yes, Jaden shot lights out (53% from three PROBABLY won't last over the course of the regular season), and that helps. More importantly, things just got simplified for Jaden. Yes, this is the sizzle roll, but look how few drops there are:

To that earlier isolation point, fewer dribbles means a more determined, better Jaden Ivey. So far, new head coach JB Bickerstaff has asked for less from Jaden Ivey and gotten more in return.

Defensive expectations

Despite his athletic ability, Jaden was a neutral to negative defensive player for two seasons. Of course, you'd want him to lean more towards neutral, but what you should expect from Jaden in this context is technique and effort. Can Jaden navigate ball screens more skillfully? If he gets screened, is he simply out of the game, or can he fight to regain position – or rotate to where he's supposed to be? Is he alert and in position off the ball?

To his credit, Jaden showed more commitment and activity in defense in the preseason. Active hands in passing lanes, better rotations. At times he's full on defense, which hopefully speaks to his commitment on that end of the floor.

Lastly, an easy way to add value on defense with Jaden's athleticism is to be a great positional rebounder. It's difficult because smashing the glass is at odds with running out in transition – but finishing possessions is a great way to contribute defensively (and it's a necessity for the starting lineup when Tim Hardaway Jr. has a career rebound). rate of 5.9% and Tobias has a career rebound rate of 10.8%). Harris remains the frontcourt).

General expectations

I want to keep expectations for Jaden realistic. He doesn't have to average 20 points every night or be an All-Star. A reasonable goal he should have for the season is to play well enough that the Pistons don't want to test the restricted free agency market and simply extend him immediately. Again, this doesn't necessarily have to be a post-rookie max contract. There are a lot of guys in previous draft classes who were extended – Cole Anthony (3/$39), Aaron Nesmith (3/$33), Coby White (3/$36), Deni Avdija (4/$49), Herb Jones (4th). / $53)…what is Cam Thomas paid? Something in this area.

If he does that, Jaden will solidify himself in the Pistons' plans long-term, really everything you could want from a third-year prospect.