Jaden Ivey Cleared for Basketball Activities as Detroit Pistons Push Toward Playoff Return

Despite being limited to just 30 games this season, Ivey has posted a career-best 17.6 points per game, ranking second on the team in scoring. His return could offer a significant boost to a Pistons squad that has clinched a playoff spot for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Detroit enters Thursday with a 43-36 record, sixth in the Eastern Conference standings.

“It’s been really quick, honestly, since I got injured,” Ivey said in March, per the Detroit Free Press. “I feel like things are progressing well. I’m doing my treatments on top of everything… I want to be out there so bad. I’m putting in the work to get back.”

Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff emphasized last week that the team is maintaining a cautious approach with the 22-year-old guard’s return.

“We’ll take our time and we’re not going to ever put him in a position where we feel it’s forced or rushed, where something even worse can happen,” Bickerstaff said.

The Pistons host the New York Knicks (50-29) on Thursday night. If the Knicks secure the No. 3 seed, they could meet Detroit in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Ivey’s status will remain one to watch as the postseason nears.