NBA
Pistons believe they would’ve won in the first round if Jaden Ivey stayed healthy
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated4 hours ago on July 24, 2025
A 44-38 record in 2024-25 was the Pistons’ best finish in 10+ years. Additionally, the team tripled its win total from the 2023-24 season. Detroit was a top-six seed in the East.
Additionally, it was the Pistons’ first playoff appearance since the 2018-19 season. During their postseason run in 2025, Detroit was without SG Jaen Ivey. He was recovering from a broken left fibula. Ivey had surgery in Janurary and was not ready for the postseason. Recently, an anonymous Pistons executive believes the team would have beaten the Knicks in the first round if Jaden Ivey had stayed healthy.
Jaden Ivey will be 100% ready to go for the 2025-26 season
An anonymous Detroit Pistons front executive says the team would’ve won their first-round matchup if Jaden Ivey had never gotten hurt
“Look, if we have Jaden last year, we win our first playoff series in forever. We believe that 100%.”
(Via @KeithSmithNBA / h/t @KnicksMuse,… pic.twitter.com/6tWf26pK4b
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 23, 2025
After two consecutive seasons of 70+ games to begin his career, Jaden Ivey was not as lucky in 2024-25. On January 1, Ivey accidentally collided with former Magic guard Cole Anthony. Ivey sustained a broken left fibula and underwent surgery the next day. In total, Ivey missed 55 consecutive games for the Pistons. That included their six postseason games vs. New York. Detroit fell short and lost the series 4-2 to the Knicks.
Recently, an anonymous Pistons’ executive spoke with Keith Smith of Spotrac. Detroit fully believes it would have beaten the Knicks if SG Jaden Ivey were available. In his third professional season, Jaden Ivey started 30 games for the Pistons. He averaged 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. On top of that, Ivey was shooting .409% from beyond the arc.
Jaden Ivey in 30 games:
17.6 PPG
4.1 RPG
4.0 APG
40.9 3P%What will he average in Year 4? pic.twitter.com/lPHSpCnftq
— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 23, 2025
Jaden Ivey is a player the Pistons value highly. Keith Smith noted the anonymous executive told him the team wants to sign Ivey to a long-term extension. Upon being drafted fifth overall in 2022, Ivey signed a four-year, $32.9 million contract. The 2025-26 season is the final year of that rookie deal. Chances are, Ivey signs an extension and remains a key piece on Detroit’s roster.
This offseason, the Pistons did not shake up their starting five. However, the team will have new role players next season. In free agency, former Hawks guard Caris LeVert signed a two-year, $29 million deal with the Pistons. LeVert is an established veteran in the NBA who’s a legit two-threat off the bench. The Pistons also signed former Heat guard Duncan Robinson to a three-year, $48 million deal. Robinson has established himself as one of the top catch-and-shoot three-point specialists in the league. The team anticipates taking another step forward in 2025-26.
