Jaden Ivey Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Notes: Burks, Ivey, Duren, Injuries, Knox

November 12th, 2023 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons finally got some good news on the injury front. Key reserve Alec Burks returned on Sunday against Chicago after missing six games with a forearm injury. Jaden Ivey was also back in action after missing four games due to a viral infection.

Coach Monty Williams was pleased to have more answers on his bench, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press tweets.

“It helps settle the rotation down a bit,” Williams said. “You don’t have to stress guys out with long stretches of minutes. And then having the shooting out there, and AB’s IQ and calm demeanor, certainly helps.”

Burks, who scored 16 points in the loss to the Bulls, is on an expiring contract and could be a key trade piece.

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Second-year center Jalen Duren has been in and out of the lineup recently due to bilateral ankle soreness. He was unable to finish Friday’s game against Philadelphia. Williams didn’t have a timeline for Duren’s return when he spoke to the media on Sunday, Sankofa tweets. “We’ll see how he responds to the treatment, all that stuff,” Williams said. “I don’t want to speculate on how long. We just don’t wanna put him back out there again, and he plays a short stint and comes out again. We just want to be really careful.”
Detroit has now lost eight straight, but Williams wouldn’t use injuries — Bojan Bogdanovic, Monte Morris, Isaiah Livers haven’t played this season and Joe Harris is also sidelined — as an excuse for the team’s record, Sankofa writes. “Not gonna happen,” Williams said. “We can throw that out the window. We’ve shown that we can play against anybody. We have to sustain it. Everybody we put on the floor is trained to produce and be productive for four quarters. We’re not doing that. We’re not gonna blame anything on injuries.”
Kevin Knox is back with the Pistons on a one-year deal. Knox, who was traded by Detroit to Portland prior to last year’s deadline, told Mike Curtis of The Detroit News he’s thrilled to get a second stint with the Pistons. Knox also relayed the message that GM Troy Weaver gave him. “He just told me what they wanted from me,” Knox said. “They need a lot of shooting and playing hard on defense. Just fitting in with the guys. You got a young team, got a couple of older guys a little banged up but he just told me I have to come in and play my game and play hard.”
Knox scored a team-high 18 points off the bench on Sunday in his first game since he was signed. “It wasn’t just his offense. His defense was sound for someone who hasn’t been in our program,” Williams said via another Sankofa tweet.

Pistons Notes: Sasser, Ivey, Duren, Losing Streak

November 6th, 2023 at 10:05am CST by Arthur Hill

It hasn’t taken long for Marcus Sasser to earn the trust of Pistons coach Monty Williams, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. After being eased into the lineup during the first week of the season, Sasser has seen an expanded role in the past three games and has responded by averaging 16.3 points, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 62.5% from the field. He also hasn’t turned the ball over in five games, which is rare for a rookie guard.

“I feel like the work I put in is just paying off,” Sasser said. “The travel and amount of games is new to me, so that is something I have to adjust to, knowing how to take care of my body. On the court, it’s not really surprising.”

Sasser’s hot start will eventually lead to difficult decisions for Williams about how to allocate playing time in a crowded backcourt, Edwards adds. Sasser is getting an expanded opportunity because of injuries to Alec Burks and Monte Morris, but it will be difficult to find minutes for all of them along with Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes and Jaden Ivey. For the moment, Sasser is taking advantage of his opportunity and may be on the verge of landing a starting role.

“He works his tail off,” Williams said after Sunday’s game. “He understands when to shoot, when to drive and he defends. There were times tonight when he was outmatched with a bigger guy, and he just kept fighting. He is the kind of player that we thought he was, and he’s just going to get better.”

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Williams offered an explanation for Ivey’s reduced role after being a full-time starter as a rookie, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Williams has placed an emphasis on defense and rebounding that Ivey hasn’t lived up to as much as the team’s other guards, but he said that frequently happens with young players. “He’s not the only guy that’s seen his minutes and all that reduced because of mistakes on the floor,” Williams said. “It’s happened with (Jalen Duren), it’s happened with Cade, it’s happened with everybody, because I think the standard that we have around here should be excellence. And 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 to a certain level and hold them accountable to that every night.”
Duren’s inability to stay on the court has played a role in Detroit’s four-game losing streak, observes Mike Curtis of The Detroit News. Duren sat out Wednesday’s game against Portland with an ankle injury, was ejected late Thursday in a loss to New Orleans, then got tossed again Sunday against Phoenix after committing two flagrant fouls.
The current slump is presenting the first major challenge for the Pistons after a 2-1 start, states John Niyo of The Detroit News. The loss to the Suns, who were missing Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, marked the second straight against an undermanned opponent. “They were tougher than us,” Williams said. “They played harder than we did in stretches, pretty much most of the game. And the spacing certainly helps, but we just we had too many situations where we missed assignments. You don’t know an assignment on Kevin Durant, that’s a problem.”

Central Notes: Lopez, Ivey, LaVine, Cavaliers

November 4th, 2023 at 10:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Back in the system that he’s comfortable with, Brook Lopez looked like a Defensive Player of the Year candidate again Friday night, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Protecting the rim in drop coverage, Lopez blocked eight shots as the Bucks held off the Knicks in their first in-season tournament game.

Lopez finished second in DPOY voting last season as he and Giannis Antetokounmpo presented huge obstacles for anyone trying to finish around the basket. However, new Milwaukee coach Adrian Griffin made a controversial change to the defense that called on players to cover more of the court in an effort to force turnovers.

In the wake of a slow start, Griffin met with some of his veteran players after Thursday’s practice and an agreement was reached to go back to the team’s traditional defensive scheme.

“Sometimes as coaches, we’re too smart for our own selves,” Griffin said, “and so a couple players came to me — I won’t disclose (them) — but they wanted Brook deeper in the drop and I was smart enough to listen to ‘em and it paid off tonight.”

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Jaden Ivey needs to get better at the “non-negotiables” to increase his playing time, James L. Edwards III of the Athletic states in a mailbag column. Ivey is averaging 20.7 minutes per night in his first six games under new Pistons coach Monty Williams, which is about 10 minutes per game less than he saw as a rookie. Edwards explains that Williams is reluctant to play anyone who turns the ball over frequently, fouls opponents outside the paint, and messes up defensive assignments.
Zach LaVine‘s refusal to take responsibility for two defensive mistakes late in Friday’s loss to Brooklyn represents a huge problem for the Bulls, contends Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Mayberry argues that the team needs its leader to be accountable, but LaVine told reporters he felt like he made the right decision when he went for unsuccessful steal attempts that resulted in baskets.
The Cavaliers fell to 2-4 with Friday’s loss at Indiana, but they were encouraged by the return from injuries by center Jarrett Allen and point guard Darius Garland, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). It marked the first game of the season for Allen, who has been sidelined with a bruised ankle bone.

Pistons Exercise 2024/25 Options On Cunningham, Ivey, Duren

November 1st, 2023 at 6:45am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have picked up their rookie scale team options for 2024/25 on guard Cade Cunningham, guard Jaden Ivey, and center Jalen Duren, according to RealGM’s transaction log.

The cut-off point to exercise those options was the end of the day on Tuesday, so the Pistons officially picked them up before the deadline passed.

While the Pistons took the decisions down to the wire, there was never any doubt about which way they’d go. The three young players are cornerstones of the franchise’s rebuild and their rookie scale contracts are relatively modest investments. Cunningham’s $13,940,809 salary for the 2024/25 season is now guaranteed, as is Ivey’s $7,977,240 figure and Duren’s $4,536,840 cap charge.

Cunningham missed most of the 2022/23 season due to a leg injury but was a popular breakout candidate coming into this season. The former No. 1 overall pick has averaged 21.0 points and 7.5 assists in 33.8 minutes per game through his first four games, making 40.0% of his three-pointers. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.

Ivey, who started 73 of 74 games as a rookie after being drafted fifth overall out of Purdue, is providing scoring punch off the bench for Detroit to begin his second season, averaging 12.3 PPG and 3.3 APG on .475/.438/.800 shooting in four games (20.3 MPG).

The No. 13 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Duren is off to an exceptional start in his second season, averaging 15.5 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 2.0 BPG in four starts (30.8 MPG), though he tweaked his ankle in Monday’s loss to Oklahoma City and is questionable for Thursday’s game vs. Portland. Despite being in his second season, the big man is one of the NBA’s youngest players — he’ll turn 20 later this month.

The Pistons will have until October 31, 2024 to exercise their fourth-year options for 2025/26 on Ivey and Duren.

Detroit was the last team whose rookie scale option decisions for ’24/25 were reported or announced. The full list of decisions can be found right here.

Central Notes: LaVine, White, Ivey, Sasser, Pacers

October 16th, 2023 at 10:53pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Bulls guard Zach LaVine is optimistic about his health heading into the season, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes. LaVine was being held out of several early back-to-backs last season, including the season opener against the Heat.

Outside of Lonzo Ball, this might be the healthiest the Bulls have been since Arturas Karnisovas assembled the core of the roster in 2021, Cowley writes. Now, LaVine and others are aiming for an improved season.

“I’m in shape; I’m not rehabbing, so you’re not second-guessing things,” LaVine said. “I feel like myself, like I did from December on. I had a full offseason. It’s always good to come into camp in shape and not have any extra ailments.”

LaVine averaged 26 points on 50.7% shooting after December 2 compared to 20.9 points on 40.9% shooting before that point last season, as Cowley notes.

Cowley also writes the Bulls are still experimenting with what works for them in head coach Billy Donovan‘s new-look offense, including potential lineups. All indications are Coby White won the starting point guard position over Ayo Dosunmu and Jevon Carter, Cowley adds.

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Pistons coach Monty Williams faces several difficult decisions as the season draws near, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic writes. Edwards predicts the starting lineup to be Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Bojan Bogdanovic, Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren, with Jaden Ivey notably coming off the bench. Edwards points out Ivey hasn’t started in the preseason yet and Thompson has impressed on the defensive end, which has been an emphasis for Detroit.
Rookie guard Marcus Sasser is pushing for a rotation spot with his play in the preseason, per Edwards and Omari Sankofa II of Detroit Free Press. Sasser had 17 points and eight assists in an October 12 preseason game against the Thunder. “He’s a guy that plays with a great edge,” Williams said. “He competes every single day, in practice. He understands with me that if you compete and defend, you’ll find yourself on the floor. That’s what you’re seeing with him.“
Pacers rookie Ben Sheppard is making an impact in the preseason and saw run with the second unit in the team’s Monday preseason game against the Hawks, Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar details. “Sheppard is playing a mature game for a rookie,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “He is older. He did play four years [of college basketball at Belmont] and it shows. But he understands what we need of him. … He’s a little bit like Buddy [Hield]. He’s doing a lot of good things.” Dopirak also notes Jalen Smith and T.J. McConnell are standing out and pushing for rotation spots.

Central Notes: Giannis, Lillard, Beasley, Ivey, Bates

October 11th, 2023 at 5:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s newest superstar duo will be in action for the first time this weekend, according to Malika Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link).

Appearing on NBA Today on ESPN on Wednesday, Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin confirmed that the plan is for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, who sat out the team’s first two preseason games, to be active on Sunday in Los Angeles when the Bucks visit the Lakers.

Here are a few more notes from around the Central:

Malik Beasley, long known as a three-point specialist, is making his case for a spot in the Bucks‘ starting lineup by working on improving his defense, according to stories from Eric Nehm of The Athletic and Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Beasley is on a minimum-salary contract, but is confident that a strong season with a title-contending team will help secure his long-term future in the NBA, writes Owczarski. “The market right now is not that good and I read into all that and I’m betting on myself like I did for my first contract,” Beasley said. “If things go as planned, and God forbid an injury or anything like that, I’ll just let the work do itself.”
New Pistons head coach Monty Williams values having a mix of veterans and youngsters in his lineups, which is a key reason why guard Jaden Ivey may find himself coming off the bench when his second NBA season begins, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. “Putting in too many young guys on the floor, I think, is a disservice to them,” Williams said on Tuesday. “You have to have some really good vets who know how to play. They settle us down a little bit, their voice is good on the floor, they know how to space, they know how to make the right plays.”
The Cavaliers are still working out their plan for rookie Emoni Bates, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he trusts the coaches with the Cleveland Charge (the Cavs’ G League affiliate) to develop Bates, but would like the 19-year-old to spend a good amount of time with the NBA team too. “I think there is value in him being around the caliber of people and talent we have in that locker room,” Bickerstaff said.

Pistons Notes: Thompson, Hayes, Bagley, Livers

October 9th, 2023 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson looked worthy of being a starter in his first preseason game, writes James L. Edwards of The Athletic. The 20-year-old small forward replaced Jaden Ivey in the starting lineup for Sunday’s overtime loss to Phoenix and posted 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in 39 minutes. He also drew a tough defensive assignment, guarding Devin Booker for most of the afternoon.

Coach Monty Williams was impressed by what he saw from Thompson, but pointed out areas where he needs to improve.

“He’s got to play with force all game,” Williams said. “I thought there were times when he thought he was in position, and I got to show him on the film that if he sprinted to the spot and used his athletic ability to shift out as opposed to walking to the backside of the defense … he’s going to be much better.”

Ivey had an efficient game off the bench, scoring 15 points while shooting 5-of-8 from the field and 3-for-6 beyond the arc. Williams told reporters not to read too much into Sunday’s lineup decision, but Edwards observes that Thompson and Ivey will likely compete for the final starting spot once Bojan Bogdanovic returns from a right calf strain that kept him out Sunday.

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Killian Hayes followed up a strong camp with an impressive performance in the preseason opener, Edwards adds. The fourth-year guard, who will be competing for minutes in a crowded backcourt, registered 13 points, seven assists and five steals in 21 minutes. Monte Morris didn’t play Sunday due to injury, and Hayes took advantage of the chance to show Williams that he’s deserving of a spot in the rotation.
Sunday’s game didn’t do anything to clear up the rotation in the frontcourt, notes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Before starting center Jalen Duren sprained his right ankle in the first half, James Wiseman was the only big man to come off the bench. After the intermission, Marvin Bagley III scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 22 minutes. “He just came in and played with a great deal of force,” Williams said of Bagley. “His dives were productive. He wasn’t putting the ball down in traffic. Defensively, I thought he did a much better job calling out screening actions which helped our guards out. For him to sit over there and come in and have an effect says a lot about his mindset and discipline to stay locked in.”
Isaiah Livers is likely to see regular minutes when he returns from his sprained ankle, Edwards states in a mailbag column. He notes that Lively can handle either forward spot, and Williams seemed impressed with him before the injury.

Pistons Notes: Stewart, Bagley, Wiseman, Livers, Thompson

October 5th, 2023 at 11:27am CST by Arthur Hill

It didn’t take long for new Pistons coach Monty Williams to identify Isaiah Stewart as one of his team leaders, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Stewart appears to be locked in as Detroit’s starting power forward heading into his fourth season. He is one of the team’s top defenders, and Williams believes his teammates respond to his approach to the game.

“It’s his character, it’s his toughness, but more importantly he works, and guys respect work,” Williams said. “In this culture, when you walk into this gym and you’re not working, you stand out. And he leads it. He and Jalen (Duren) have led the charge. Those guys are on the floor every day together getting sweat equity in, and it sends a message to the team.”

Stewart will see time at center as well as power forward this season, and he’s working to improve his jump shot so he can help to space the floor. The front office showed its belief in Stewart this summer by giving him a rookie scale extension worth up to $64MM, and Sankofa notes that he’s the only one of the team’s three first-round picks from 2020 to be extended.

“It made sense for us,” general manager Troy Weaver said of the new contract. “You always want to have a player or players on the team who are symbols for what you want to be about, and he’s that on and off the floor. Who he is as a person and what he brings to practice, what he brings as a teammate.”

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With Stewart and Duren projected as starters, Marvin Bagley III and James Wiseman are competing for one rotation role in the frontcourt, Sankofa adds in a separate story. Both are former No. 2 overall picks who weren’t able to find success with their original teams, and the Pistons were willing to give them a second chance when they became available. Williams called it a “tough spot” for Bagley and Wiseman because they both have the talent to succeed. “Bags has a body of work. Wise is still young and learning,” Williams said. “They both have enough ability to command that spot. We’re just going to wait and see who steps up and takes it.”
Isaiah Livers was in the competition for power forward minutes before suffering a sprained ankle that will cause him to miss six to eight weeks, according to James L. Edwards of The Athletic. The rotation that Williams uses to start the season will likely be adjusted when Livers returns.
Williams’ emphasis on defense gives rookie Ausar Thompson a chance to earn a starting spot, adds Edwards, who observes that Thompson may already be the team’s top defender. Bojan Bogdanovic and Jaden Ivey are at the greatest risk of being replaced, but Edwards notes that moving either to the bench would take scoring punch away from the starting lineup.

Central Notes: Bulls, Giannis, Ivey, Pistons

September 24th, 2023 at 3:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After making only minor roster moves for a second straight summer, the middling Bulls might be best served by fully embracing a tank, opines Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Cowley writes that team president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley need to concede that their momentous roster reconstruction in 2021 ultimately did not succeed, and the club must now pivot to offloading big veterans in exchange for future draft equity. Cowley believes Chicago’s top priority should be finding a young point guard it can build around.

With star wings DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine leading the charge, the Bulls have gone a cumulative 86-78 over the past two regular seasons, with just a single playoff game win to their credit.

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Though Bucks All-NBA power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is now eligible to ink a three-year, $169MM contract extension, he has indicated he intends to wait until next summer to make a decision. At that point, he could agree to a four-year deal worth a projected $234MM (or potentially more, depending on where the NBA’s salary cap lands). He has a $51.9MM player option for the 2025/26 season. Should Antetokounmpo eventually ask for a trade, he would entice the entire league, Adrian Wojnarowski said on Friday on ESPN’s NBA Today (YouTube video link). “Listen, the possibility of a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo becoming available, it creates a frenzy around the league behind closed doors,” Woj said.
Second-year Pistons shooting guard Jaden Ivey is hoping to take a step up defensively in 2023/24, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. The 6’4″ guard showed improvement as a shooter and passer throughout his rookie season last year, and is now looking to develop on the other side of the ball. “Being able to just play better defense, I think that’s what I tried to lock into more [over the summer],” Sankofa opines. “Using my speed to get through ball screens and not giving up on ball screen reads. Always staying on the play, always staying involved defensively. I feel like I got better in that aspect.”
In a new reader mailbag, Sankofa addresses a variety of Pistons topics, including whether he thinks Detroit could try to trade for Pacers sharpshooter Buddy Hield, whether or not combo forward Isaiah Livers will earn rotation minutes amidst a deeper frontcourt, and more.

Pistons Notes: Duren, Stewart, Hayes, Thompson

August 9th, 2023 at 8:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart appear to be the favorites to start at center and power forward for the Pistons heading into training camp, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes in a mailbag column. Langlois sees them as having a clear edge over James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley III. He cites Duren’s impressive showing at Summer League, which he followed up with a strong performance as part of the Select Team that scrimmaged against Team USA’s World Cup squad.

The bigger concern for Wiseman and Bagley, according to Langlois, is whether new head coach Monty Williams is willing to give regular playing time to four big men. They could be battling for one rotation role, not only in camp but throughout the season.

Langlois also raises the possibility that Williams won’t want to start two traditional big men. That could lead to Bojan Bogdanovic getting the starting nod as a stretch four, with Isaiah Livers possibly claiming the other forward spot.

There’s more on the Pistons:

Killian Hayes needs to establish himself as an NBA player as he enters the final year of his rookie contract, but his path to playing time appears to be blocked, Langlois adds. Cade Cunningham‘s return will consume a lot of the backcourt minutes, and Hayes will have to compete with Jaden Ivey, Alec Burks, newcomer Monte Morris and rookie Marcus Sasser as well. Langlois suggests that Hayes might be included in a multi-player trade at some point to help balance salaries.
Overtime Elite trainer Luke Cooper believes Ausar Thompson has the drive to become a star, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Cooper said Thompson’s obsession to excel at every part of the game led to some late-night phone calls during their two years of working together. “I’ll get a text or call saying, ‘I mastered it,’ and I’d have no idea what he was talking about,” Cooper said. “It would be some little move that we worked on earlier that day that bothered him so much because he didn’t feel comfortable with it, so he went to his room and worked on it, in his room, until he felt comfortable with it.”
In a separate story, Edwards examines potential lineup combinations for the upcoming season, looking at which five-man units might work best in different situations.