Even for an athletic, Uber-talented phenom like Detroit's Jaden Ivey, the world’s best basketball league hasn’t come easy.
Now halfway through his debut season, the former Purdue guard and No. 5 overall pick has struggled in a few ways in the NBA, but is pushing through and proving he’s got tremendous upside.
At a glance, Ivey’s stats looks good. He’s averaging 15.1 points, 4.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. But his struggles have come with efficiency, shooting just 41 percent overall and 34 percent from beyond the arc, turnovers, nearly three per game, and his lackluster defense at times.
And that’s not accounting for the fact when this Pistons’ team is fully healthy, Ivey and Pistons’ star guard Cade Cunningham are going to have to find ways to coexist on the court.
But in recent weeks, Ivey has shown growth in key areas. Most notably his outside shooting.
In his last five games, Ivey is shooting a blazing 56 percent on over three attempts per game, and his field goal percentage has hovered around 47 percent in that span. In those games, he’s also dishing out 5.6 assists per game, and while his turnovers haven’t been nonexistent, he has cut them down.
Lastly, Ivey’s showcased a cleaner, more well-rounded defensive product. He’s still got a long ways to go as a defender, but 3-steal games like he had against the Wolves are certainly a positive sign.
Overall, Ivey still has tremendous star upside. He's got innate offensive skill, a clean and projectable shooting stroke and a high enough floor in several key improvement areas.
Ivey has shown improvement throughout the season and already has numbers that should satisfy Piston’s fans. For now, he’ll continue to work through the same things many rookies struggle with in hopes to become a star for Detroit down the road.
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