Jaden Ivey needs the ball in his hands, even when Cade Cunningham returns for Pistons

The Jaden Ivey Show — finally — has arrived.

The second-year guard has seized a leading role for the Detroit Pistons since Cade Cunningham went down with a left knee strain on Jan. 7. Ivey, who started the season coming off of the bench and has spent much of it playing off-ball, has been thrusted back into a primary ballhandler role. Similar to his rookie year, Ivey’s elite quickness has been tough for opposing defenses to solve.

His per-game numbers since Cunningham’s injury look like those of a burgeoning star — 22.2 points, 6.2 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks on 45.5% overall shooting.

What will it mean for him when Cunningham returns?

“There’s some things I can script out to help those guys, but Cade understands that JI’s got a bit of a rhythm with the ball right now,” Williams said after Saturday’s close loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. “We want to continue that.”

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Williams initially was reluctant to utilize Ivey as a primary creator. Ivey showed upside in that role last season as an athletic guard that can get to the basket, improving over the course of the year as a decision-maker and earning All-Rookie second team honors. During an organizational meeting on Jan. 11, Williams acknowledged that using Ivey in more pick-and-roll situations as the initiator was something he hadn’t done enough of, and needed to try.

It hasn’t been perfect — Ivey’s been inaccurate as a shooter both from 3 and at the free-throw line — but the strengths are undeniable. He has improved significantly as a finisher and is among the NBA’s best at it this season. Per Cleaning The Glass, he has drawn fouls on 16.3% of his possessions, ranking in the 99th percentile among combo guards.

Ivey’s making his at-rim attempts at a 65% clip — in the 62nd percentile. There’s room for improvement there, but it’s a substantial increase from his 55% clip as a rookie. He’s also improved as a midrange shooter, making him an efficient player inside of the 3-point line.

His number splits pre-and-post Cunningham injury this season illustrate the extent that his role has increased. He’s collecting more assists and self-creating more of his shots, rather than relying on his teammates to create for him. When Cunningham returns, Williams will still lean on Ivey for playmaking.

"I think it’s going to be a good compliment with those two playing together within the system," Williams said Saturday. "Jaden is a guy that has been resilient, allowed me to coach him hard and try to teach him our system, and then used his gifts and abilities to expand the system. I think he’s just beginning to grow into the player we drafted and that’s exciting to see. We have to turn all of that into winning. That’s a huge step for young players and young teams.

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“I think it’s gonna help JI to get out ahead of the break and now Cade can go hit-ahead pass to him and let him attack,” Williams said. “We’re gonna just try to grow that environment. I’m pleased with his ability to attack the paint, and he gets to the free throw line. That’s something that allows for us to set our defense — certainly not as much as Milwaukee did, but we still feel like we can get to the free throw line some."

Ivey’s defense is also becoming a strength. His positioning and awareness, once weaknesses, have improved. He’s utilizing his length as a 6-foot-4, long-armed guard more effectively. The Pistons, as an organization, want to surround Cunningham with strong perimeter defenders to take pressure off of him in that area. That hasn’t materialized this season, but Ivey’s recent play points to a future where he could fulfill that role.

“You look at the offense and you see unreal numbers, but I’m really proud of the way he defended tonight,” Williams said after Ivey tied his career-high with 34 points during last Wednesday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. “There were times where he was guarding a bigger guy, 2, 3, 4 inches, and he just stood in front of him and walled up and contested the shot, or made the guy pass the ball. That’s something we feel like he can do on a consistent basis.”

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Cunningham and Ivey bring different approaches to the table as lead initiators, due to Cunningham’s slower and more methodical game. But he’s had to carry a disproportionate share of the offense. Cleaning The Glass, which labels him as a wing, says he’s only been assisted on 36% of his shot attempts this season. That’s the lowest percentage among wings by far — Jordan Clarkson, who is second, has been assisted on 41.6% of his attempts.

Williams sees upside in getting Ivey more involved, and lightening Cunningham’s workload.

“I don’t see it as a challenge,” Williams said Sunday. “I see it as an asset because of the different styles. It would be challenging if either one of those guys were selfish. They’re not. That part, I think we’ll be ok with that. Just figure it out in-game. I think those are weapons, not necessarily challenges.”

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

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Next up: Bucks

Matchup: Pistons (4-38) vs. Milwaukee (29-13).

Tipoff: 7 p.m. Monday; Little Caesars Arena, Detroit.

TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit; WXYT-FM (97.1).

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons' Jaden Ivey needs ball in his hands, even when Cade returns