Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey posted 15 points in just 17 minutes on Thursday night
After starting two straight games in Cade Cunningham’s absence, Jaden Ivey returned to a relief role against the Phoenix Suns at home on Thursday night, but the fourth-year guard made every minute on the floor count in the team’s 98-95 win.
In the first quarter, Ivey came off the bench to give Cunningham a bit of rest and proceeded to take the green lights that he arrived at in the Pistons’ offense. Connecting on a pair of deep three-point shots, Ivey posted eight points in just five minutes to start the game, a sign of more to come.
Then in the second half, Ivey continued to find openings in the Suns’ defense, and he made Phoenix pay for every foot of space he was given, eventually finishing with 15 points in 17 minutes on a tidy 6-for-8 night from the field. Ivey connected on another three-pointer in the second half, and that could’ve been the difference as Detroit finished with a three-point victory, which marked their 16th single-digit win of the season.
“It's not easy,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Ivey’s effort after the game. “His whole journey has not been an easy one, but he stuck to it. He's bought into it. We know he's a weapon, and we can use him in so many different ways. And again, we're thankful and blessed to have a guy who, like you said, had that role and then had to adjust to a new role and figure out a way to still contribute, and I think he's done a great job of that.”
Last season, Ivey started 30 games before breaking his leg on Jan. 1, 2025 and hasn’t quite regained his spot in the starting lineup. So far, Duncan Robinson has started every game that he’s been healthy for in the position that Ivey used to occupy last season, but the results have been positive since the Pistons rose to the top position in the Eastern Conference rather early on.
Given that success has been the standard in Detroit of late, Bickerstaff is not particularly motivated to tinker with the Pistons lineup too much. In fact, he’s not even ready to say when he’d like for Detroit to have a more well-defined rotation between the first and second units.
“We play the guys that contribute to winning, and that’s everybody,” Bickerstaff said.
Based on that response, Detroit will likely continue to lean on its versatility and plug whatever holes crop up in the lineup along the way. The Pistons have a plethora of players that can contribute in multiple ways, such as Ivey with his ball handling ability over the past several games, so Bickerstaff has grown comfortable riding the hot hand in Detroit.
And against the Suns, Ivey was one of the hot hands for the Pistons as the team’s leading scorer off the bench. But after shooting 75% from the field in a narrow win, Ivey kept a humble approach instead of relishing what may have been his sharpest performance of the season.
“I haven't really been keeping track, but I mean as far as hitting shots, I hit some good shots and made some open ones that I usually take and make,” Ivey said. “Sometimes you miss them and sometimes you make them, but just taking the shots that were given to me.”
Since coming back from injury and easing through a minutes restriction during December, Ivey has looked sharp and has shot the ball well from beyond the arc. In addition to his perimeter shooting, Ivey has looked aggressive and engaged on defense, often sparking transition offense and has looked good when setting up Detroit's looks in the half-court as well.
Now, Robinson offers a similar shooting profile as Ivey, though he's a bit more adept as a motion shooter than Ivey is, and the fourth-year guard is also a far more involved defender. So, there's pros and cons attached to starting either player, but Ivey is reasonably a more well-rounded player at this stage than Robinson is, while the vet offers a wealth of high-level experience.
Depth like this is one of the benefits that Bickerstaff has had to work with throughout the 2025-26 regular season, and it's a challenge that he's happy to work with moving forward.
Next up, the Pistons have a day off before hosting the Indiana Pacers at 7:30 pm on Saturday, Jan. 17.
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