Jaden Ivey

Ivey is a unique combo guard (with the potential to be a PG) who possesses elite, functional, athletic tools and a mix of legitimate, well developed skills and nascent skills that will inhibit his ability to hit his ceiling if he doesn’t develop them.  Ivey possesses elite speed, body control/bend, quick hops, good hang time, and the ability to change direction with the ball and almost “slither” through traffic when opposing teams try to throw 2-3 bodies at him to prevent him from getting to the hoop.  But he’s not just an “athlete,” Ivey has good handles and very strong touch inside, allowing him to score from some seemingly bizarre angles.  All of this allows Ivey to regularly beat his primary defender and once he gets a head of steam, he’s very difficult to stop.  And Ivey has an aggressive mentality that helps him get the most of these skills, he will drive aggressively into big men and then get fouled or use his long arms and body control to score.  Ivey has also worked hard on his outside shot and while it does look better, his shot is still a bit of a slow set shot as he can take a moment to gather and his form isn’t always consistent.  In addition, he needs to add more counter-moves and mid-range scoring into his arsenal.  While Ivey is hard to stop once he has momentum, if he is slowed, he doesn’t have a lot of creative moves / counters and can pick his dribble up too soon.  With the lack of a consistent runner or mid-range jumper (he often resorts to a mix of off balance fadeaways and push shots), this can lead to poor outcomes and he suddenly looks very human.  Ivey’s passing is also sub-par.  Some of this was the team’s offense and how he was used, but he could force shots and needs to show better judgment on some of his passes if he’s going to be an offensive engine in the NBA.

Defensively, the story with Ivey is actually pretty similar to Banchero.  The “will” wasn’t always there, perhaps because he played so hard on offense.  There were times he’d get caught in “no man’s land” and lose shooters, would play too high instead of getting in his stance, or would take a poor angle on a screen. But he has the length, strength, and lateral speed to be a very good defender and when he tried and was locked-in, he had some very impressive moments stopping good players in isolation, absording contact using his strength when players tried to drive on him, or helping out as a weak side shot blocker.

Finally, I should at least note, Ivey is electric and plays with a high motor on offense; however, he plays at a high speed and invites a lot of contact.  He’s never had a major injury, but took some hard falls and was momentarily hurt several times this season, so he will have to learn how to play more sustainably in the NBA.