During the Detroit Pistons’ nine-game winning streak and climb to first place in the Eastern Conference, only one element has been missing– Jaden Ivey.

During the summer, Ivey worked hard to rehab from a torn ACL that cost him the majority of the 2024-25 regular season (and postseason), so Ivey had a front row seat as the Pistons made the playoffs without him last year. Before the injury, Ivey was averaging over 17 points per game, so Detroit was missing one of its top shot creators on offense to close out the season. 

So, Ivey worked hard to get back to full speed this offseason, and he received positive assessments on his progress prior to training camp. During the preseason, Ivey logged 14 minutes as he started Detroit’s opener, but the Pistons shut him down for the remainder of the game due to a bit of soreness. Not long after, the Pistons announced that Ivey would miss roughly four weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee. 

Now four weeks since that initial announcement, Ivey is making his way back to full strength, and he’s begun some on-court drills as part of his rehab process. 

As the clip shows, Ivey is moving around on the court, making cuts and changing direction with a little bit of resistance. Arthroscopic surgery is generally a minor, exploratory procedure, so Ivey should be able to ramp up his activity relatively quickly, but he’s not expected to reenter the Detroit lineup just yet. 

Where will Ivey fit once he returns? 

So far, the Pistons have made due without Ivey by starting Duncan Robinson at the two as a product of the veteran’s sharp outside shooting. Robinson has started each of the 13 games for the Pistons this season, and his efficiency from beyond the arc has allowed for Detroit to space the floor a bit on offense, though he is not a threat in transition like Ivey typically would be. 

Now in his fourth season, Ivey has shown to be a lethal force on the fast break, and his explosion allows for the Purdue product to get to the rim on command. These traits align with the direction that Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff would like for the team to head in, though Robinson has proved to contribute effectively in his spot-starting role. Ivey would also serve to be a considerable improvement over Robinson on the defensive end as well. 

But given Robinson’s reliability in the Pistons’ starting lineup, it would be a surprise to see Ivey supplant the veteran in the starting lineup once he returns, but that is most likely the long-term plan for the Detroit squad. The Pistons are invested in the long-term growth of Ivey although they declined to extend his contract at the Oct. 20 deadline, so the Detroit organization will look to give Ivey an opportunity to show that he should remain a Piston for the extended future. 

Additionally, Ivey is a career 35% shooter from three-point range, so the speedy combo guard has the accuracy to knock down outside shots at an acceptable rate, much like Robinson. So, the Pistons would only sacrifice a small portion of perimeter shooting while gaining a healthy dose of speed and athleticism when Ivey returns to the Detroit lineup. 

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