Jaden Ivey injury gives Detroit Pistons an opportunity to experiment
It wasn’t good news. But it was better news than many feared after Jaden Ivey’s injury scare with the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.
The team announced Thursday afternoon that Jaden Ivey suffered a broken fibula during their win over the Orlando Magic the previous night. He will be re-evaluated in a month, indicating that the team hasn’t closed the door on him returning this season.
The scene was grim as Ivey, surrounded by players and staff from both teams as he squirmed in pain while clutching his left leg. As bad as the injury looked in real time, Initial reports from the team’s medical staff suggested that Ivey suffered no ligament or tendon damage, raising optimism that his recovery may not cost him the rest of his breakout third season.
But in the meantime, the Pistons’ coaching staff will have to figure out how to keep the team’s momentum rolling without one of their best players for the next month, at least. Ivey’s averaging 17.6 points per game this season, and knocking down 40.9% of his 3-pointers. He’s become a genuine nightly scoring threat, and has been a key part of the team’s 15-18 start with wins in four of their last five games.
Pistons to experiment
Out of necessity, it might be time for the coaching staff to experiment with lineups.
“It’s tough on the whole group,” Cade Cunningham said after the game. “To see him hurting like that is tough on us. He’s built for it, he’s going to shake back knowing him.
"He’s going to work his tail off and he’s going to be better than ever when he gets back. It’s hard to see that, for sure.”
J.B. Bickerstaff has largely stuck with the same starting-five this season — Cunningham, Ivey, Tim Hardaway Jr., Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren. In the three games Ivey has missed this season, Bickerstaff’s turned to two players to replace him in the starting five — Malik Beasley, and Ausar Thompson.
Beasley, who’s having a franchise-best season as a 3-point shooter, earned his first start of the season when Ivey missed his first game on Nov. 13 alongside with Tim Hardaway Jr., who was recovering from a head injury. Ron Holland also drew his first start of the season. Thompson was still two weeks shy of making his season debut after recovering from blood clots.
Beasley drew the start again when Ivey missed their win over the Miami Heat on Dec. 16, in which Beasley finished with 28 points. But for the following game on Dec. 19, Thompson got the starting nod.
It was Thompson’s second straight start as he filled in for an injured Harris against the Heat and tallied 19 points, nine rebounds, four steals and a block. When Harris returned against the Utah Jazz on the 19th, Beasley was moved back to the bench.
A sixth man of the year candidate, Beasley has thrived in his role and has helped the Pistons’ offense stay afloat when Cunningham sits. Starting him would provide spacing for the first unit, but hurt a second unit that typically features Ivey and Beasley as the backcourt.
Marcus Sasser is the Pistons’ lone player other than Cunningham who has spent substantial time at point guard in the NBA. He’s played well when given the opportunity and is making 39.6% of 3-pointers. Outside of Sasser, the Pistons will have to find playmaking elsewhere.
Is it Thompson's time?
Thompson could be an intriguing stopgap. He’s displayed vision as a playmaker, especially in transition, but hasn’t had as many reps initiating the offense himself in half-court sets. His assist rate is healthy for a wing, but he’s also been turnover-prone.
His defensive energy, though, would lift a unit that’s gone cold on that end after a strong start to the season. There’s also Holland, who plays defense with effort and has consistently found ways to opportunistically get in the paint and score. Neither Thompson or Holland, though, are capable outside shooters.
The team is trying to thread the line between competing and developing its young players this season. There are no obvious silver linings whenever a key player gets hurt, but it gives the Pistons a chance to bet on its young players, and see if one can rise to the occasion.
No one on the roster can replicate Ivey's game. But someone, if not multiple players, now have an opportunity to prove that there's more to their game than they've been able to show.
Can Thompson thrive while running the pick-and-roll? Can Sasser find his niche as a pesky defender with Cunningham around to offset his slight frame? The Pistons have an opportunity to find out.
“At the heart of this team and what we’ve tried to preach all year since we’ve been here is the togetherness,” Bickerstaff said. “If one guy goes down, you don’t want to let that guy down.
"So everybody else has to step up. It’s the emotions, it’s the human aspect of it. But I thought our guys did a really good job of just sticking together and getting it done.”
The Paste BN app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.