In the eyes of the Pistons and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, it was never about if Jaden Ivey would recover from the horrific leg injury he suffered last season with Detroit, but what would be the timeline?
That question is still being asked, especially in the wake of Saturday’s news that the Bulls – Ivey’s new team thanks to the trade deadline – has shut him down for at least two weeks, concerned with how he’s looked since the deal was made.
“We expected a full recovery, but the timing you never know, which is something you can never know,” Bickerstaff said. “And then the part for him is believing and trusting in it, that happens with the injury too, especially when you’re explosive and your athleticism is so unique. You got to find that trust back in it.”
Which Ivey obviously has struggled with.
In his first 30 games pre-injury last season, Bickerstaff was watching Ivey take off, filling it up with 17.6 points per game and shooting just under 41% from three.
In his return to play this season, Detroit was giving him 17 minutes per game, he was averaging 8.2 points and shooting 37% from three with obvious drops in his play-making and explosiveness. In his first four games with the Bulls, he was getting the minutes before not playing against Toronto but looked caught in cement far too often.
There was a lot of controversy coming out of his DNP (Did Not Play) and it wasn’t helped when he declared “old J.I. is dead” afterward, but Bulls coach Billy Donovan said it was decided before that Thursday game that Ivey would sit so he could get the soreness in his knee checked out a day later.
“Certainly, it was our decision coaching-staff wise that he did not play, but I think medical guys saw that he was not moving great,” Donovan said. “They had something scheduled (Friday) to get him looked at. Clearly, we’ve got to remove some soreness to get him better, but he has to do some strengthening too with a lot of the muscles around his knee.”
That will be the immediate plan for the guard. Two weeks of strengthening and getting the leg stronger and then a re-evaluation. That doesn’t mean he’ll play again this season, but that remained the hope.
“Being able to come back from that type of injury isn’t easy,” Bickerstaff added of Ivey. “Having to do it in a situation where the team has kind of established itself when you were away, and now you’re trying to find your rhythm and not step on anyone’s toes … he wasn’t in an easy situation.”
A big yes
The Bulls also announced that Zach Collins would miss the rest of the season, as doctors have decided that his toe injury would be better served if he underwent surgery.
The often-injured big man only played 10 games this season and will be a free agent, but Donovan was all in for bringing him back.
“When a guy is in free agency there’s the financial piece of it and then there’s the part of the player, the make-up, the character,” Donovan said. “It’s hard for me knowing what a guy’s value is financially, but from my perspective as it relates to winning, when he’s out there and healthy he’s a very good player for us. From that standpoint I would hope it would all work out for him to be back here next year.”
Happy return
Eastern Conference-leading Detroit got reinforcements back against the Bulls as Jalen Duren’s two-game suspension for a Feb. 9 fight with Charlotte ended. The Pistons were still without Isaiah Stewart, who was suspended seven games for his part in the altercation.