After becoming the first team in NBA history to triple its win total from one season to the next, the Detroit Pistons aim to continue climbing the Eastern Conference ladder with their bevy of young talent -- starting with All-Star floor general Cade Cunningham.
Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Ron Holland and Ausar Thompson form the young core that the Pistons hope will guide them deeper into the NBA playoffs this year, after Detroit suffered a hard-fought first-round loss to the New York Knicks in April. But former top-five pick Jaden Ivey is still on the outside looking in -- and it does not have to do with the fibula fracture that he suffered in January.
Why isn’t Jaden Ivey playing tonight?
The Pistons open the 2025/26 season on Wednesday night in Chicago. Ivey will not play against the longtime rival Bulls after he underwent arthroscopic surgery last week to relieve pain in his right knee.
It means Ivey, the fourth-year guard out of Purdue, is unlikely to debut this season until the end of November -- putting him at 10 months without NBA minutes.
Ivey was enjoying a breakout year before he suffered the leg injury in a game against the Orlando Magic. He was averaging 17.6 points per game and shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range -- but the Pistons grabbed the East's #6 seed without him.
Complicating matters further is the fact that Ivey and the Pistons did not agree on a rookie contract extension prior to the Oct. 20 deadline. Ivey now is on course for restricted free agency in 2026, and the early-season injury adds another intriguing to his role on a Detroit team where he will have to compete with Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson for minutes this winter.
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