Jaden Ivey is Back, the Pistons Keep Winning, and a 12-Man Rotation? | The Weekly Drive
At long last, the Pistons welcomed Jaden Ivey back to the court.
Have the Pistons still not lost since the last Weekly Drive? No? Am I reading that correct?
And, again, still not. Detroit now has a 14-game winning streak, retains first place in the Eastern Conference, and just got Jaden Ivey back.
Game Recaps
Game 15: Detroit 120, Atlanta 112
Rapid Reaction: In the second game of a back-to-back, where many teams look a little staggered, the Pistons came out and were the opposite. Cade Cunningham had another 25-point double-double with 10 assists, Jalen Duren added 24, and Detroit never relinquished the lead once.
Game 16: Detroit 129, Milwaukee 116
Rapid Reaction: Take this one with a grain of salt given the Bucks did not have Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Pistons not only won the game, but never trailed after midway through the second quarter. Can we talk about Duncan Robinson real quick? This was his seventh straight game with double-digit points and in that span he has shot 49% from the floor and 48% from three-point territory. He doesn’t get the shine, but Robinson has quietly been integral to the offense.
We talked about the win streak, Jalen Duren making his case to be the best center in the Eastern Conference, and the rotation going forward.
Jaden Ivey Returns
Yes, its true. Nearly one year since breaking his leg against the Orlando Magic (and then arthroscopic knee surgery in September), Jaden Ivey returned to an NBA court Saturday night against the Bucks. He looked a little rusty, as expected, but played 15 minutes and scored 10 points on 4/6 shooting.
The 23-year-old is grateful to be back, and so are his teammates.
No use in trying to dig in to those minutes any more than this: its nice to see Ivey healthy and back out on the court. Once he returns to game speed and is playing in high-leverage situations with Cunningham, then we can evaluate how things look. Until then, here are all six of Ivey’s shot attempts.
Oh, and Tobias Harris also returned to action Saturday night. He scored 18 points, remaining the high-floor good-vibes guy that the Pistons have relied on.
Do the Pistons Have Too Many Good Players?
No lol.
Ok, here is an actual answer. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after Saturday night’s win over the Bucks that he will be sticking with a 12-man rotation. Now for the relatively initiated, that is…not usual. Most teams go with a much shorter rotation, though most teams do not have the unique depth that the Pistons have right now.
Ivey and Tobias Harris are on minutes restrictions for the time being, but that will cease eventually. That will tighten the rotation slightly, but then there is the issue of Daniss Jenkins who is…too good to be on a two-way contract. The Pistons will have to convert him to a standard contract, which our own Aaron Johnson wrote about here, but there are mechanisms to make that happen pretty painlessly.
Long story short: No, the Pistons don’t have too many good players. But they do have a few things to consider as the season goes on.
The Pistons play woeful Indiana, but then have a big NBA Cup matchup against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night followed by a rematch with the Orlando Magic on Black Friday. Does the streak continue? One way to find out, and no matter what we will talk about it next Monday.
See you next week, and have a happy Thanksgiving.
Mike