All Pistons

Detroit Pistons Announcer Leaves Fans Curious About Jaden Ivey

Could Jaden Ivey be back on the court soon?
Justin Grasso|
Dec 28, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) looks on before the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Dec 28, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) looks on before the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

In this story:

Detroit Pistons

As the Detroit Pistons battled it out against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, the veteran guard Jaden Ivey was in attendance. Wearing street clothes while sitting on the Pistons’ bench, Ivey supported his teammates as they suffered a bad loss against the Western Conference powerhouse.

During the matchup, FanDuel Sports cameras showed Ivey, which led to an interesting quote from Pistons announcer George Blaha.

“Jaden Ivey… He was great. Won’t be long before he’ll be back on the court for the Pistons. He’ll be a big, big help.”

It’s not exactly an official update on Ivey, but it is certainly a comment that creates some curiosity, as the Pistons will have an extended run this year for the first time in several seasons.

Since Jaden Ivey landed in Detroit, the Pistons haven’t been competitive enough to play postseason basketball. With their emergence in 2024-2025, the Pistons are now one win away from punching their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

The regular season will end right around the time Ivey is expected to be evaluated once again.

Back in January, Ivey suffered an unfortunate leg injury, which needed surgery to repair. After multiple updates, the Pistons have yet to call it a season for Ivey, which leaves the door open for a potential return before the inevitable playoff run.

Ahead of the OKC matchup on Wednesday, Ivey was spotted getting up shots up while in workout gear. It was just another sign that the Pistons guard was making solid progress in his recovery.

While the Pistons have remained competitive in Ivey’s absence, they still certainly miss his scoring and efficient shooting from deep. Before going down, Ivey appeared in 30 games. During that stretch, he averaged 18 points on 41 percent shooting from three.

Time will soon tell if the comments were hinting at a return this year or not.

More Pistons on SI

Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

Share on XFollow JGrasso_
Home/News