Former Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey was traded into a tough situation with the Chicago Bulls.
The franchise appears to be in the early phases of a rebuild after being one of the most active teams at the NBA trade deadline and seemingly resetting their roster for the future.
With that the Bulls effectively have a rotation of six guards, however Ivey’s role is looking questionable after he was the only guard who didn’t take the court in the team’s first game back from the All-Star break against the Toronto Raptors Thursday night.
“Going into it I was prepared to play,” Ivey told reporters after not participating in a 110-101 loss. “Going into it I think everybody was up in the air with who was going to play. If coach wants me in there, I’ll be ready.”
Before the All-Star break, Ivey started 3-of-4 games he played with the Bulls and averaged 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and four assists in nearly 29 minutes of play per game.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan was absent from the game as he was tending to his family in the wake of the death of his father, Billy Donovan Sr., on Feb. 14.
That certainly could be a factor in Ivey — the former fifth overall pick by the Pistons — not seeing any playing time.
Acting head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said after the game it was “strictly a basketball decision” not to use Ivey and that it will be up to Donovan how involved in the rotation he is going forward.
The 24-year-old said that played a part in him missing out, but he believes it was a “series of things” that led to a rare DNP, including some knee soreness. The knee ailment — which Ivey had arthroscopic surgery for in October — hasn’t kept him from practicing or participating in shootaround.
He doesn’t feel limited in being able to play by the injury, but thinks he still has steps to go to be at his best. Ivey’s yet to return to the top form he was in before suffering a broken left fibula on Jan. 1, 2025.
“I’ve been dealing with knee soreness in my knee,” Ivey said. “I’m sure people can call it out that I’m not the same player I used to be. That’s why. I’m not the J.I. I used to be. But the old J.I. is dead. I’m alive in Christ no matter what the basketball setting is.”
It was an honest sentiment from Ivey as he is set to hit restricted free agency at the end of this season.
His time with Detroit ended before the conclusion of his rookie deal as he offered a lot less production for a team surging into the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
The hope for the Pistons in dealing him to Chicago in exchange for Kevin Huerter was to get a player who could space out the floor more rather than hope Ivey’s full athleticism returned as timing just wasn’t right for the young guard.
Detroit hasn’t used Huerter too much — he didn’t take the court in Thursday’s win over the New York Knicks — but the Pistons are also competing to stay atop the East and working him into their established rotations much slower than a team like the Bulls trying to figure out a path for the future.
It’s possible the Bulls could show a bit more of their strategy with Ivey going forward on Saturday when the Pistons visit Chicago.
If Ivey plays it will be the first time he’s gone against the franchise that drafted him in 2022.
The Pistons expressed hope that Ivey would find his way in the league and be a success after being traded. Even with an early snag to his time in Chicago, Ivey says he doesn’t feel affected by adversity like this.
“Whatever the team needs of me, whether or not I’m on the court or I’m playing 10 minutes...I don’t think it changes my character,” Ivey said. “Win, lose or draw I’m here to do my job.”