Detroit Pistons' Jaden Ivey knows he has big summer of growth ahead, even after scoring 31

MEMPHIS — Friday’s blowout loss to the Memphis Grizzlies — or what remained of the Grizzlies, considering they had 12 players on the injury report — produced one dim glimmer of hope.

Jaden Ivey, who’s largely struggled since All-Star weekend, looked like a go-to scoring option with Cade Cunningham in street clothes. He finished with 31 points, knocking down 10 of his 15 shot attempts and six of his eight 3-pointers. But even that came with a caveat, as he was responsible for four of the Detroit Pistons' 17 turnovers.

“He knocked down some shots but our starting backcourt had seven turnovers,” Monty Williams said after the 108-90 blowout road loss. “That’s going to be a recipe for disaster if you’re not shooting the ball well collectively. The shots he made gave us life in the first half, for sure. We’ve gotta be careful of just being aggressive for aggressive’s sake. We gotta make sure we're aggressive within the scheme of what we’re doing because of all of the guys out.”

Nonetheless, Ivey’s performance was a reminder that the 2022 fifth-overall pick can really score the ball when he’s feeling it. He could benefit from providing a few more reminders as he approaches another big offseason.

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At the tail end of a sophomore season filled with plenty of unexpected twists and turns, there’s still much for Ivey to prove as the Pistons navigate arguably the most challenging season in franchise history.

We’ve seen flashes of the player he wants to be — a two-way guard who can lead the offense when Cunningham is on the bench, and play lockdown defense and knock down open 3-pointers when he’s on the floor. The game-to-game, and moment-to-moment, consistency has lacked. Friday’s performance came two days after he scored eight points on 3-for-15 accuracy against the Atlanta Hawks in 27 minutes.

We’re approaching a full season of data with Cunningham and Ivey as Detroit’s leading guards. So far, they haven’t produced well enough together to ease concerns about their long-term viability.

Post-All-Star break, Ivey entered Friday’s game averaging 15 points on 37.2% overall shooting, and 24.3% from 3. That’s a 21-game stretch, accounting for more than a fourth of the 72 he’s played this season.

It has tanked his efficiency following a promising start to the season. Before All-Star break, he shot 45.4% overall and 36.1% from 3. Following his slump, his season averages — 42.7% overall and 32% from 3 — are similar to the 42.1%/33.2% split he posted as a rookie.

Ivey got going early on Friday, knocking down four 3-pointers in the opening period and accounting for 15 of Detroit’s 22 points in the quarter. By halftime, his 20 points were more than half of the Pistons’ 38. By that point, the rest of the team was just 7-for-28 overall and 0-for-10 from 3.

“I got in a rhythm early, hit a couple of 3’s,” he said after the game. “I wouldn’t say I’ve been shooting the ball particularly well lately, but I found a rhythm tonight.”

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In his good moments, Ivey looks like the Purdue star who was considered a near-lock to be drafted top-four in 2022 before falling to the Pistons at five. His first step remains one of the best in the league. He can quickly heat up from 3. At 6-foot-4 with tons of athleticism, he has the tools to bother opposing ones, twos and some small forwards as well.

There are also times Ivey can be erratic. Per 100 possessions, only Cunningham averages more turnovers per game on the team. He can have tunnel vision in transition situations. There’s plenty of growth ahead for him as a defender, as far as awareness and execution.

Ivey knows he has to be better. He has a stronger base to build off of compared to this time last season, thanks to playing significantly more minutes next to Cunningham. They appeared in just 11 games together last season because of Cunningham's shin injury. This year, that total has risen to 68.

For the partnership to work, it’ll require Ivey to sharpen the weaker aspects of his game — his shooting, defense and ball control topping the list. Ivey says he’s learned a lot this season. For Detroit to crawl out of the NBA’s basement toward respectability, Ivey will have to apply those lessons during his workouts this summer.

Friday was yet another example of how important Cunningham is to this roster. The Pistons fell to a Grizzlies team missing all of its top players, including Ja Morant, Michigan State alumnus Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart. Ivey’s 31-point performance came in an 18-point loss. He was Detroit’s best player, but the team still needed more.

“(Cade’s) gonna go get a bucket regardless,” Ivey said. “This whole season I’ve gotten to play with him, I’ve seen a different side to how I can get a lot of my shots off, and as far as getting the rest of the team involved, making the right reads when I do get the ball. That’s important going into next season. It’s something that I’m watching a lot of film on and seeing what I can do better these last couple of games and finishing the season off strong. Looking forward to continuing to grow my game this summer.

“There’s a lot of growth that I showed this year. Obviously going to continue to finish and run through the tape this year. We just gotta finish this year strong and trust God to make this team what it is, and we’re just gonna keep sowing the seed and trusting God, that he’s gonna grow this team and this organization to where it needs to be.”

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons' Jaden Ivey knows he has a big summer of growth ahead