NBA Boilers: Detroit Pistons President Lauds Jaden Ivey's Work Ethic, Talent

Jaden Ivey's third season in the NBA didn't quite go as planned. The former Purdue standout was off to a hot start in the first 30 games of the Detroit Pistons' season, but a leg injury suffered in a New Year's Day game against the Orlando Magic sidelined the guard for the remainder of the year.

Ivey, who missed the last 55 games of the season (including the playoffs), ended his third year in the league averaging 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

Last week, Pistons president Trajan Langdon provided a glowing review of Ivey in his exit interview following the 2024-25 campaign. There's no question he believes the former Boilermaker is a key piece to Detroit's success moving forward.

"He’s one of our hardest workers. His ability to shoot the ball is better than I thought coming in," Langdon said, per Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. "His ability to guard, I think, took a step from the previous two seasons to last year."

Ivey saw major improvement in his shot percentage this past year, although it was only 30 games. He connected on 46% of all field goal attempts and knocked down three-pointers at a 40.9% clip. Both are career-bests for the guard, and he saw a 7% improvement from distance from his previous two seasons.

Detroit made a run to the NBA playoffs even with Ivey on the bench this past season. The Pistons earned the No. 6 seed and put up a fight against the No. 3-seeded New York Knicks, falling 4-2 in the series.

With Ivey projected to return next season, there's a lot of confidence and optimism surrounding the organization entering the 2025-26 campaign.

Related stories on Purdue basketball