Detroit Pistons Could Miss Starter vs Utah Jazz on Thursday

The Detroit Pistons have a key starter on the injury report for their matchup against the Utah Jazz.

Jan 3, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) drives to the basket against Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

As the Detroit Pistons gear up for another matchup this week, their starting five could be missing a player or two against the Utah Jazz.

According to the official NBA injury report, the Pistons have labeled the third-year starting guard Jaden Ivey as doubtful to play. He is currently dealing with left knee inflammation.

Ivey’s recent setback was very sudden for Detroit. As the team entered its matchup against the Miami Heat on Monday night, Ivey was left off of the injury report and fully anticipated playing.

Just moments before the game tipped off, the veteran guard was ruled out as a late scratch. The team noted that Ivey was dealing with knee soreness. At that point, it was unclear how severe the setback was.

Jaden Ivey (knee) listed doubtful for Thursday.

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As expected, Ivey was not considered a participant in Wednesday’s practice session in Detroit. After practice, Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff told reporters that Ivey is considered to be day-to-day. While that’s a positive sign, as it prevents Ivey from missing several weeks of action, it’s unclear just how many games the veteran guard could miss.

This season, Ivey’s been on a roll while sharing the backcourt with Cade Cunningham. In his first 25 games of action, the veteran guard is averaging 17 points while shooting 44 percent from the field.

As Ivey puts up five threes per game, he’s knocking down his shots from deep at a 37 percent clip. Along with his scoring, Ivey has been dishing out four assists per game and coming down with four rebounds as well.

If Ivey can’t get the nod to play on Thursday, he will miss his third game this year. When Ivey’s out this season, the Pistons have been rolling with the veteran Malik Beasley. In the first game without Ivey, Beasley scored 26 points on 53 percent shooting. He made it a double-double by grabbing ten rebounds.

In Monday’s game against the Heat, Beasley produced 28 points on 50 percent shooting in 40 minutes of action. While the Pistons have found plenty of success with Ivey this year, they have been in good hands with Beasley backing him up.