Jaden Ivey had a really good rookie season.
Not amazing. Not bad. Somewhere between good and great.
The Detroit Pistons selected Ivey with the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, the same selection they’ll have this June, and was named to the second-team All-Rookie squad alongside teammate Jalen Duren.
Ivey showed flashes of brilliance with his electric first-step routinely helping him beat defenders off the dribble.
His 3-point shooting, the biggest knock on his game coming into the NBA, proved to be better than advertised. He hit 34.3% of his 3-pointers on 4.7 attempts per game.
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Ivey averaged 16.3 points, 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 turnovers per game on 41.9% from the field, largely without the presence of Cade Cunningham. That meant a lot more attention from opponents and often their best on-ball perimeter defender assigned to him.
Ivey also had three 30-point games and showed durability, playing 74 of 82 games, a major win in today’s NBA.
He was edged out of the first-team All-Rookie squad by two guards taken after him; Jalen Williams from the Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 12 pick) and Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers (No. 6). The rookie class overall is off to a good start.
Let’s compare Ivey’s season to the rookie years of some of the best point guards taken early in Round 1 over the past few decades.
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Russell Westbrook: No. 4 pick in 2008
Westbrook rookie averages: 15.3 points, 5.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 turnovers, 41.5 2P%, 27.1 3PT%, 41.4 eFG%, 5.2 FTA
Ivey rookie averages: 16.3 points, 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 3.2 turnovers, 45.7 2P%, 34.3 3P%, 47.7 eFG%, 4.8 FTA
Sure, Russell Westbrook is not among the league’s top players anymore, but he certainly was at one time.
Statistically, Westbrook is a strong comp for Ivey and ironically, Pistons general manager Troy Weaver was front and center to watch both youngsters; he was assistant GM with the Oklahoma City Thunder prior to coming to Detroit.
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Westbrook, who spent two years at UCLA, was a better rebounder as a rookie, no surprise as he’s considered one of the greatest rebounding guards of all time. But Ivey was much better at shooting efficiency, and both assisted and drew free throws at a nice clip.
Both were on really bad teams as rookies: Westbrook’s Thunder finished 23-59; the Pistons were 17-65. OKC made a big jump to 50-32 the next season.
Damian Lillard: No. 6 pick in 2012
Lillard rookie averages: 19 points, 6.5 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 46.9 2P%, 36.8 3P%, 50.1 eFG%, 3.9 FTA
Ivey rookie averages: 16.3 points, 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 3.2 turnovers, 45.7 2P%, 34.3 3P%, 47.7 eFG%, 4.8 FTA
Pistons fans can dream.
If Ivey has a scoring impact near Damian Lillard, that would obviously be a major win.
Lillard made the transition from the Big Sky’s Weber State to the NBA look easy in winning Rookie of the Year.
He played in all 82 games and averaged 38.6 minutes per game, a number he hasn’t hit since and would’ve led the NBA this season (Pascal Siakam led the NBA at 37.4 MPG in 2022-23). Meanwhile, Ivey played 31.1 minutes per contest, so looking at Per 36 statistics gives an interesting perspective when comparing the two players.
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Per 36, Lillard averaged 17.8 points, six assists, and 2.8 turnovers, while Ivey averaged 18.8 points, six assists and 3.7 turnovers in the same category. It’s not a perfect statistic, as it’s reasonable to predict Ivey would’ve been more worn down and tired if he was playing that minute load, but it makes for a more fair comparison.
Lillard, remember, spent four seasons in college compared to two for Ivey.
Ja Morant: No. 2 pick in 2019
Morant rookie averages: 17.8 points, 7.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 turnovers, 51.1 2P%, 33.5 3P%, 50.9 eFG%, 4.6 FTA
Ivey rookie averages: 16.3 points, 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 3.2 turnovers, 45.7 2P%, 34.3 3P%, 47.7 eFG%, 4.8 FTA
Another best-case scenario, Ja Morant and Ivey often draw comparisons because of their connection.
Although both are world-class athletes, they’re quite different players. Morant has a rare ability to squirm through traffic at the basket and throws down some of the best dunks you’ll ever see. Ivey is a bit more north-and-south, beating people with his quickness and finishing at the rim.
Morant, a two-year player at Murray State, has perhaps set an unfair bar for rookie guards. Right away, he was one of the most electric players in the league and helped the Grizzlies go 34-39 in winning Rookie of the year.
The Grizzlies finished ninth in the Western Conference, barely losing a crazy play-in game to the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA bubble.
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Morant has since built off that rookie campaign, making two All-Star teams and getting one All-NBA nod.
Ivey was not quite as good as Morant was, but few have been. Morant was an instant franchise changer for the Grizzlies and shouldn’t be the standard for rookie guards. Yet, Ivey’s stats were not far off the pace.
We’ll see if he can help the Pistons make the same jump Memphis has made since Morant’s arrival.
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