Detroit Pistons rookie Jaden Ivey is already energizing the city with praise for Cade Cunningham and a team that’s “Detroit to the core.”
Detroit to the core.
Pistons rookie Jaden Ivey may have used this phrase to describe his teammates, but it’s a phrase that also describes Ivey himself. One of the biggest storylines out of the 2022 NBA Draft was how the Pistons’ selection of Ivey seemed fated. Jaden Ivey continues an incredible legacy of beloved Detroit professional athletes, following his mom, former Detroit Shock player Niele Ivey. Jaden’s grandfather, James Hunter, played for the Detroit Lions.
Loving Detroit is virtually in Jaden’s DNA, and he joins the Pistons at an exciting juncture in the franchise’s history. Ivey is set to compliment Cade Cunningham in the upcoming season, and the two have already grown close as they prepare to “bring Detroit back to winning.”
“Man, I love that dude,” Ivey told FanSided’s Mark Carman when asked about Cunningham. “Honestly, a great dude. He was just so welcoming when I got there, and he’s ready to work. That’s the most important thing, we talked about it, we’re ready to get to it and bring Detroit back to winning, that’s the biggest thing.”
When asked about the game plan with Cunningham and whether or not Ivey will be running point, Ivey told Carman that the point position has been pretty fluid thus far.
“I don’t know, honestly. I mean, we’ve practiced a lot, I feel like sometimes I had the ball in my hands, and sometimes he did. However that works out, I feel like we compliment each other well. I can bring the ball up sometimes, he can bring the ball up sometimes. Honestly, I feel like we’re just a great duo, and we’re gonna do whatever we need to do to help the team win, for sure.”
Jaden Ivey talks Cade Cunningham, Pistons future as Detroit fans exalt No. 5 pick
Carman pointed out that Ivey’s move to Detroit has energized not only the fanbase, but excited the rest of the NBA, remarking that this is the most that the Pistons have been discussed in over a decade.
“There’s definitely a lot to talk about. We’ve got some special guys, some special talent, and some guys that I feel like are Detroit to the core. Everybody loves Detroit on our team. I feel like when you have young guys that wanna learn and wanna be great, it’s gonna do not only us well, but [it’s going to do] the sake of Detroit well.”
Jaden’s comments come at a fortunate time, as there was recently an ankle injury scare when Ivey went down during Summer League play. Luckily, Jaden is healthy, healing up after an impressive 20-point performance against the Portland Trail Blazers on July 8.
It’s an exciting time to be a Pistons fan witnessing a locker room with so much talent: there’s Isaiah Stewart, Cade Cunningham, and now Jaden Ivey, just to name a few. Perhaps Ivey can be the piece that brings Detroit their fourth NBA Championship in the years to come.