Pistons guard Jaden Ivey was carried off the court on a stretcher after suffering a left leg injury during the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s win over Orlando, as Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press details.
There are no details yet on the severity of the injury, but it appears to be significant, Sankofa writes, based on Ivey’s reaction and the emotion shown by players from both teams in the aftermath.
The injury occurred with 10:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. With Ivey and Magic guard Cole Anthony battling to reach a loose ball, Anthony fell on the Pistons guard’s left leg, which turned awkwardly underneath him (Twitter video link ). Players from both teams surrounded Ivey as he grabbed his lower leg and writhed in pain on the court.
Anthony and Pistons swingman Ausar Thompson were among the players who appeared teary-eyed as Ivey was wheeled off the floor on a stretcher, Sankofa notes.
“It’s tough on the whole group,” Pistons star Cade Cunningham told reporters after the game. “To see him hurting like that is tough on us. He’s built for it, he’s going to shake back knowing him. He’s going to work his tail off and he’s going to be better than ever when he gets back. It’s hard to see that, for sure.”
There should be more details on Ivey’s injury within the next 24 hours, but it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which he’s able to quickly return to action without missing much time.
As Sankofa writes, losing Ivey would be a major blow for a Pistons team that has exceeded expectations so far this season and currently holds a play-in spot at 15-18. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has staggered his two lead guards so that Ivey is the one initiating the offense when Cunningham is on the bench.
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Ivey had been enjoying his best season as a pro so far in 2024/25, establishing new career highs in points (17.6) and rebounds (4.1) per game, as well as field goal percentage (46.0%) and three-point percentage (40.9%). He has started all 30 games he played, averaging 29.9 minutes per night.
Marcus Sasser is the No. 3 point guard on the depth chart and would likely be in line for a minutes bump if Ivey is unavailable, but it’s unclear if Bickerstaff would trust the second-year guard to take on a similar role to the one Ivey has played. Sasser has averaged just 13.1 minutes per contest in 22 outings off the bench this season.