Jaden Ivey landed on the Chicago Bulls at the 2026 NBA trade deadline.
The Detroit Pistons cut ties with the veteran guard as he struggled to stay healthy over the past year. The rebuilding Bulls have a chance to give Ivey a fresh start before he hits the free agency market, offering the veteran a chance to build his value back up.
However, a recent DNP has NBA fans wondering what went wrong for Ivey this week. The veteran guard isn't exactly sure himself.
"Going into it, I was prepared to play," Ivey told reporters on Thursday. "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."
Thursday's game was Ivey's first absence since he debuted for the team on February 5. Since linking with the Bulls, Ivey has averaged 29.0 minutes per game. Suddenly, Billy Donovan decided to keep him glued to the bench against the Toronto Raptors.
Ivey isn't one-hundred percent. The veteran guard admitted that he's dealing with a minor ailment-yet he wasn't denied a chance to play by the medical staff. "I've been dealing with knee soreness in my knee," Ivey said.
That's what led Ivey to drop his eyebrow-raising quote, suggesting that he's changed.
"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," he added.
Ivey's message goes beyond basketball, but fans are seeing his statement as a player who is accepting regression. Taking all circumstances into consideration, it's far too early decide whether this season is a slump or a true sign of regression for the former first-rounder.
Last year, Ivey had an impressive 30-game stretch for the Pistons. He averaged 17.6 points, 4.0 assists, and 4.1 rebounds, while knocking down threes at a 40 percent clip, which marked a career-high.
A leg injury concluded Ivey's season at the start of January 2025. He was on pace to debut on time for the start of the 2025-2026 NBA season, but a knee injury sidelined him through mid-November.
When Ivey returned to the Pistons' rotation, it was too difficult for JB Bickerstaff to throw him in with the starters. For 33 games, he came off the bench for all but two matchups. With his playing time cut in half, Ivey averaged 8.2 points and 1.6 assists. In Chicago, Ivey's numbers rise a bit. In four games, he produced 11.5 points per game, while shooting 38 percent from deep. It's clear he's still not back to his best version.
The timing of Ivey's struggles is unfortunate, considering he's in a contract year, but he's shown enough progress through four seasons to prove to his next NBA team that he's worth a gamble-whether it's short-term or not.
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