DETROIT – To the surprise of many fans, the starting lineup to open the season for the Detroit Pistons has been without 2022 fifth overall draft pick Jaden Ivey.
Ivey, who started 73 games in his rookie season and flashed star potential, has been placed in a bench role under new head coach Monty Williams, leaving many to speculate the reasons why.
Through seven games, Jaden Ivey is averaging 12 points and 3 assists on 49% shooting from the floor and 41% from three. In this new bench role, he is averaging 21 minutes per game.
Ivey’s scoring production isn’t the reason he was benched. He struggles with high turnovers and is known to be a weak defender, but it’s his fit with the rest of the starting lineup that could be another reason for his new role.
Ivey is at his best with the ball in his hands in the open floor. He showed the ability to be a primary ball hander last season, but that was while playing without Cade Cunningham. The return of Cunningham alters the starting lineup because he is also at his best as a primary ball handler.
But the Pistons haven’t tested a lineup this season with both Cunningham and Ivey. The coaching staff likely determined that if both players need the ball in their hands to be effective, then it’s best to play the duo in separate lineups. Williams also wants to hold the team accountable on the defensive end and acknowledged that it’s an area Ivey needs to work on.
Williams was asked whether Ivey knows what he needs to do in order to receive more playing time.
“I think everybody here does,” Williams said. “I’m pretty clear about objectives. The way we want to play is a team style of basketball. I’m more inclined to talk to guys about defensive rebounding than I am about offense. I think when you defend and rebound, all that other stuff takes care of itself. As it relates to JI, he’s still a young guy.
“As I’ve said before, I’m not giving minutes out. Minutes are precious, and he’s not the only guy that has seen his minutes and all of that reduced because of mistakes on the floor. It’s happened with JD. It’s happened with Cade. It’s happened with everybody, because I think the standard should be excellence. You can’t have excellence if guys feel like they’re being gifted minutes. So, it’s not just JI. Overall, we need guys to play at a certain level and hold them accountable to that every night.”
The most glaring issue with Ivey coming off the bench is that Killian Hayes is starting in his place. Hayes is in his fourth year with the team and is a solid defender but has shown little scoring ability. Hayes has struggled to start the season and hasn’t produced on the court to reflect his starting role. Through seven games, Hayes is averaging 8 points and 5 assists on 33% shooting from the floor, including 29% from three.
It presents a spacing issue for the starting lineup when Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart are the only players who can consistently knock down a three. Replacing Hayes with a 41% three-point shooter in Ivey seems like the most obvious solution. Hayes is starting over Ivey because Williams likes his defense or the team is trying to let Hayes attempt to increase his trade value in this starting role.
According to Bleacher Report, the Pistons had been engaged in trade talks with the Dallas Mavericks centered around Hayes. He is expendable because of the team’s loaded backcourt and would likely be a throw-in for a trade that would free up roster space.
If Hayes is traded before the deadline, Ivey being benched could be temporary. Once players like Bojan Bogdanovic, Isaiah Livers, and Monte Morris return from injury, it will allow for more perimeter shooting on offense. Ivey and Cunningham will finally have the spacing they need to be effective at the same time.
The stellar play of rookie Marcus Sasser is also putting pressure on Ivey’s minutes. So far, Sasser is averaging 9 points and 3 assists on 58% shooting from the field and 59% from three. He has been an offensive spark off the bench and is a solid defender. If he keeps playing at this level, he may steal some of Ivey’s minutes going forward.
Pistons general manager Troy Weaver commented on Ivey coming off the bench saying, “I was with James Harden for three years. We drafted him No. 3. He never started a game for us. I think the bench/starting thing is way overrated. We got to let this kid have his journey and grow and develop. We don’t know how long he’ll start, how long he’ll come off the bench. We just want him to develop into the best player he can become.”
So far, Williams and the Pistons’ front office seem to be taking a tough love approach with Ivey. Others might say Williams has Ivey in the doghouse. Until the backcourt is freed up and more shooting is added to the starting lineup, the Pistons will likely keep Ivey in the bench role because it puts him in a position where he can have the ball in his hands with space. He will also need to improve as a defender if he wants to earn Williams’ trust.
It might not be what’s best for the team’s success, but Williams feels it’s best for Ivey’s development.