Jaden Ivey could end up being the sparkplug sixth man for the Pistons

The Detroit Pistons took guard Jaden Ivey with the fifth pick of the 2022 NBA Draft with hopes that he could blossom into a superstar next to backcourt mate Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick from 2021.

That wasn't able to happen in 2022 due to Cunningham missing most of the season with a shin injury. Now that Cunningham is back and fully healthy and Ivey is sliding into year two as a pro, there's a chance the two could start to jell and take off.

Interestingly enough, though, the cohesion may not come with both starting all the time. Ivey came off the bench in Detroit's first preseason game largely due to the fact that veteran shooter Bojan Bogdanovic didn't play. 

The Pistons needed shooting and first-year head coach Monty Williams went with Alec Burks as the starter at shooting guard rather than Ivey.

That left Ivey to play a role as a sparkplug off the bench, which he did rather successfully.

In 23 minutes, Ivey notched 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal.

It's worth noting that this was only the first game of the preseason and even if he does come off the bench more often, Ivey should still play starter minutes. With that said, Williams spoke after the game as if Ivey being Detroit's sixth man could be an option.

"If he’s going to come off the bench, we want him coming into the game with some force and aggression," Williams said via Kory Woods.

That's a role usually reserved for a player who could be a sparkplug to either help the team keep momentum rolling midway through the first quarter or help them gain some back.

For what it's worth, Ivey is exactly that type of player.

As a rookie, he scored 16.3 points per game with 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds per contest.