DETROIT — Jaden Ivey went a calendar year between starts for the Detroit Pistons after his season-ending leg injury on Jan. 1, 2025.
A long rehab process and an additional surgery needed just ahead of the start to the season meant he wouldn’t take the court with the starting five again until Wednesday, taking over one of the guard spots with [Cade Cunningham injured and out](https://www.mlive.com/pistons/2026/01/cade-cunningham-to-miss-4th-game-veteran-wing-returns-for-pistons.html) against the Chicago Bulls.
Ivey made his first 21 appearances of the season coming off the bench, averaging 8.4 points and 1.8 assists in nearly 17 minutes of run per game.
The fourth-year guard’s been focused on doing what he can to help his team, even when he was often held to a minutes restriction as recently as late December.
“Just doing my job, whatever’s required of me, giving it to the glory of God, suit up every day,” Ivey said after practice Friday. “Obviously, the opportunity was there to start. But basketball’s fun, so I’m just doing my job.”
The injury bug has caught the Pistons plenty this season and Ivey finally got the benefit of a start because of it. While Detroit (28-9) will certainly prefer to have its roster ready to go for Saturday’s home game against the Los Angeles Clippers (13-23), it could offer another chance for Ivey to help set the tone for the team.
“Any time bodies go down, the opportunity presents itself,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We’ll always make sure to put (Ivey) in a position that he’s comfortable first and then I’ve got to make decisions on how that looks and rotations compared to other guys. But we know what (Ivey) is capable of. When he’s out there playing at his best, playing confident basketball, we know how impactful he can be.”
Ivey has certainly shown flashes of his old self lately, scoring 16 in a blowout win over the New York Knicks earlier this week and [managing nearly 29 minutes against the Clippers](https://www.mlive.com/pistons/2025/12/why-jaden-iveys-latest-outing-was-an-important-milestone-for-pistons.html) last month.
It hasn’t been an immediate return to last year’s pre-injury form where Ivey was a regular starter posting 17.6 points and four assists per game.
On Wednesday, Ivey had a decent showing in the first half against the Bulls with eight points, three assists and three rebounds. The second half was much less impactful where he only played five of his 20 total minutes and took just one shot.
He didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter, with two-way guard Daniss Jenkins instead playing the full quarter and totaling 15 assists in the matchup.
Being in a contract year, Ivey’s future with the team is up in the air and likely depends on if he can get back to playing to the level Bickerstaff knows he’s capable of. Physically and mentally, Ivey says he’s feeling good through any adversity he’s faced to this point.
“I’m in a great space. Obviously, moving forward one one day at a time,” Ivey said. “My body feels good. Just doing my job.”
Bickerstaff has given just about no information on Cunningham’s wrist contusion — declining to comment on when it was suffered, severity or whether he’s even practicing — so it’s hard to know if Ivey is long for the starting lineup.
But if he’s going to try and establish some longer runs out on the court, taking advantage of Cunningham’s absence will be something to watch for from the former lottery pick.