Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey suffered a broken fibula in his left leg against the Orlando Magic on New Year’s Day, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
While Ivey is expected to miss the majority of the remainder of the season, the team has not ruled him out for its entirety.
Early in the fourth quarter, Magic guard Cole Anthony dove for a rebound that was tapped to the 3-point line. Ivey was in an upright position looking to gather the ball but Anthony inadvertently bumped Ivey as he slid on the dive. The Detroit guard fell to the floor grabbing his lower left leg in extreme pain.
After being tended to by trainers and medical staff, Ivey was taken off the court on a stretcher. Players were all gathered around him with Anthony looking mortified over what just transpired.
Ivey was in the midst of a great game, scoring 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including five triples in 27 minutes. Detroit won, 105-96.
Sending prayers to Jaden Ivey, who was stretchered off in the 4th quarter after suffering an apparent leg injury. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/mvaetcRgL7
— FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun (@FanDuelSN_FL) January 2, 2025
Ivey Showed Improvement
The 22-year-old guard was showing solid growth in his third season, averaging a career-high 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and just under a steal in 30 starts.
Ivey showed his most notable improvement beyond the arc, shooting a very healthy 40.9 percent on threes. He entered this season under 35 percent through his first two years in the league.
The fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft has shown good chemistry alongside Cade Cunningham and looks to be one of Detroit’s building blocks moving forward.
Pistons Striving For Respectability
With Ivey’s improvement and Cunningham healthy, Detroit has worked its way to a respectable 15-18 record and ninth place in the East.
In the absence of Ivey, the Pistons will likely look for more from Malik Beasley, Ausar Thompson and even Tim Hardaway Jr.
Beasley has been a consistent source of offense for Detroit this season, averaging 16.2 points per contest while shooting 41.3 percent on threes. Thompson has had to bide his time as he dealt with a blood clot issue, but was a regular contributor in December.
Hardaway Jr. has played in 30 games this season and scored 10.1 points per game. He’s made 35.2 percent of his threes.
Detroit’s next game is against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
