Early Indicators: A Hybrid Role for Jaden Ivey?
It’s a new age for Jaden Ivey, as J.B. Bickerstaff may be his saving grace. At least that's what the evidence suggests in the early going.
Preseason takeaways are to be taken with a grain of salt in perpetuity. Although Jaden Ivey's first three outings have seemed strikingly instructive of J.B. Bickerstaff's vision for the Pistons backcourt.
A Season to Forget
Last year could not have been more rocky, and all roads led through Monty Williams. From the outset, Ivey had his minutes inexplicably displaced in favor of Kilian Hayes, an eventual franchise pariah whose feasibility at the NBA level is teetering on the brink of non-existence. A situation tantamount to a teacher’s pet getting every ounce of attention only to be expelled shortly thereafter. Jaden was shoehorned into a role unbefitting of both his talent and draft pedigree. Williams prioritized defense for a bottom 5 defensive group. I can't fault his intentions, but the defensive disparity between Hayes and Ivey was always overblown. The other side of the ball, conversely, was abominable. The floor balance and spacing in the halfcourt was nowhere to be found. Trotting out Ausar and Killian for extended minutes every night meant Cade was forced to operate in cluttered lanes without any reliable bail out options.
We know how that chapter concluded. Injuries struck, monumental losing streaks were had, 68 losses were amassed, and Monty ran away with a pot of gold after being nixed in June.
Wholesale Changes
Newly minted Executive Trajan Langdon has already turned over a new leaf in Detroit. Out went the overpaid taskmaster, and in came a new visionary (along with some sorely needed wing shooting).
Ivey has lacked empowerment during his first two seasons. I am not talking about handing him the keys and letting him run rampant, but rather putting him in a position to succeed. After all, not all reps are good reps. Clearly defining, and streamlining, Jaden’s role in a manner that amplified his strengths should have always been the goal. Nevertheless, he poses to be a beneficiary of the Pistons' personnel shift in upper management.
Ivey’s Redefined Role
I will reiterate that three preseason games are far from gospel - it is a period characterized by hodgepodge basketball and coaching ideation. Through their first three showings, Bickerstaff has slotted Ivey in at point guard when Cade has been off the floor. Experimental or not, it is a coaching decision that could (and should) be a transformative step in Jaden's growth. He played 4% of his minutes last year at the one, compared to 27% as a rookie.
Ivey is not a run of the mill point guard, nor does he necessarily dictate flow with the ball in his hands. On the shot creator to floor general spectrum, he leans heavily towards the former. However, his minutes at the point have reflected that fact. Bickerstaff has, by design, avoided altering Ivey's M.O. The substance of his offensive game in said minutes remains unchanged - it is the form that has been tailored. Jaden is not initiating at the top of the arc or directing traffic as you might expect from a point guard running a second unit. To the contrary, he is still pushing the pace in transition at every opportunity, coming off stagger screens from the corner, and curling off dribble handoffs to get downhill in the middle of the floor. More often than not, Jaden is starting possessions one or two passes away from the ball before getting involved in the primary action. While Ivey is not functioning as a point guard, letting loose in a context without another ball dominant guard on the floor is where the value lies.
At this stage, Ivey is better suited at executing rudimentary reads rather than controlling the tempo. His explosiveness off the mark and knack for getting to the nail on demand makes defensive seams infinitely more exploitable. Throwing Ivey the burden of a fully-fledged lead creator would be developmentally counterintuitive. Bickerstaff has recognized the practicality of getting Jaden halfcourt reps in the absence of Cade making every high leverage decision. Ivey has the bandwidth to hone his decision-making, but is not overburdened with creative duties that go beyond his current capabilities. In due time, shouldering such a burden may be entirely viable. It is the type of intentionality you love to see from a coach. Expanding a prospect's game by drip-feeding them particular responsibilities during bench minutes is strategically sound (albeit requiring constant oversight).
Last year’s lineup machinations shrunk the floor at every turn. Penetrating into the middle meant the defense collapsed without a second thought, leaving the drivers with no outs and limited options. But Detroit now has the luxury of a spaced floor. With Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, THJ and Simone Fontecchio in tow, Ivey's dynamism off the dribble holds more weight. Additionally, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart finding bodies on screens opens the door for wider lanes. Defenders are put in a tougher predicament, and every decision Ivey makes coming off a pick naturally simplifies. In theory, Ivey will be unleashed now that the help does not come as hard, as early or as often.
Under Monty, Ivey languished on the sidelines without a leg to stand on. Alternating between a (pseudo) lead-guard and an off-guard role will have its perks. His processing speed will see an uptick and his rhythm away the ball will be fine-tuned. The streaky shooting still looms large, but I have faith it will self-correct as it has for many mercurial guards before him.
If you, like me, will unashamedly tune in to Pistons games on league pass this season, the non-Cade minutes are worth monitoring to watch Ivey's evolution first-hand.