With fans in Little Caesars Arena on their feet and the Los Angeles Lakers on the ropes, Detroit Piston guard Cade Cunningham sized up his defender.
Cunningham knew he could get past Austin Reaves, but he was looking to pass because his biggest impact in the game was his playmaking. Only one option made sense.
With LeBron James moving slightly toward Cunningham, Jaden Ivey spotted up well beyond the 3-point arc and received the pass from his teammate.
Flashing his fluid form, Ivey drilled a clutch 3 to help seal the 115-103 victory for the Pistons. The in-rhythm jumper off the pass sent the arena into a frenzy.
DAGGER for Ivey! #DetroitBasketball pic.twitter.com/ojVYnI6O5x
— FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (@FanDuelSN_DET) November 5, 2024
His 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting gave Detroit (3-5) its first home win of the season.
“With confidence, amazing things happen,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said during his postgame news conference. “We believe that he’s playing with an extreme level of confidence. He’s attacking, he’s playing in positions of strength. He wants this to work. He’s doing whatever he has to do to help this team win.”
Ivey delivered four consecutive buckets down the stretch to keep the Lakers at bay. He blew past James for a layup over Gabe Vincent to extend Detroit’s lead to 91-80 with 9 minutes, 37 seconds left. He also displayed his newfound pace, decelerating to slowly come off a dribble-handoff from Isaiah Stewart before connecting an and-1 floater.
Ivey also added four assists, four rebounds, a steal and a block and was a game-high plus-20. It was his most efficient outing this season. He’s led the Pistons in scoring in two of their three wins this season. It’s early, but Ivey is clicking.
“He’s always been super selfless as far as doing whatever it takes for the team,” said Cunningham, who had a triple-double with 17 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds. “We’re giving him space and opportunity to do what he does, and he’s making the most out of it.
“He’s always been a dude that just has a gift that nobody else has.”
The gift Cunningham spoke of seems to be materializing this season for Ivey.
Entering Monday’s game, Ivey’s 3-point shooting ranked fourth (39 percent) in his 2022 draft class (while playing a minimum of 25 minutes per game) behind Toronto Raptors guard Ochai Agbaji, Atlanta Hawks forward David Roddy and Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun.
However, Ivey does attempt more long-distance shots than any of the players mentioned above at 5.1 per game.
It remains to be seen whether Ivey can continue to play at this level. But the fact that he’s progressing at this rate early on during his third season is an encouraging sign.
Ivey’s next opportunity to build on his momentum comes Wednesday on the road against LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets.
(Photo of Jaden Ivey: Brian Sevald / NBAE via Getty Images)
