Jaden Ivey

Ivey has the most upside of any guard in the draft. He is an absolutely relentless athlete that should be able to blow by all but the NBA's best defenders, but ...

There are questions about whether he's actually going to be a point guard in the NBA, but now he's paired with Cade Cunningham, a natural distributor. That put much more pressure on the Pistons to land an immediate contributor with this selection. His playmaking will need some work at the next level if he's going to be a point guard. Ivey was considered to be a top-four pick entering draft night but fell to the Pistons at No. 5. Ivey is an explosive athlete who plays big and is capable of attacking the rim in a variety of ways. The Detroit Pistons have selected Jaden Ivey with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Ivey has the most upside of any guard in the draft.

Detroit Pistons got a jolt to their backcourt by selecting Purdue's Jaden Ivey with 5th pick in 2022 NBA draft to pair with Cade Cunningham.

He complements Cunningham as an athletic guard who can get downhill with ease, and has a chance to become a fanfavorite thanks to his athletic dunks. Ivey's father, Javin Hunter, was born and raised in Detroit, attended Detroit Country Day and was a wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers from 2002-06. That, along with his explosive vertical, turned him into a nightly highlight reel in college and will give the Pistons a jolt when he's on the floor. The Pistons selected Jaden Ivey with the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft. He's a gifted athlete with perhaps the best first-step in the draft, enabling him to break down defenses and get to the rim with ease. His grandfather, James Hunter, was a cornerback for the Detroit Lions from 1976-82 and passed away in Allen Park in 2010.

There are questions whether Ivey is a point guard or a shooting guard, but there's little question about his ability to work and adapt.

But that was a season-high — ergo, as bad as it ever got for him, just at the worst possible time — and Ivey only committed four or more turnovers in a single game six times as a sophomore. “With all these kids these days, it’s sometimes easy for them to live in their own world, and not think about what they need to do to positively impact a dorm, a community, a basketball team, whatever it may be.” Maybe the turnovers are a little worrisome, when you’re considering Ivey as a primary show-runner. To wit: With his mother, Niele, moving to Memphis for an assistant coaching gig with the Grizzlies, Ivey left his comfortable existence in South Bend, Ind., for a year at the La Lumiere School. It’s about 33 minutes and a grand total of three or four turns away from home. Maybe the perimeter shooting numbers aren’t conclusive yet, when arguing for Ivey as a steady scoring option off the ball. But Ivey’s imminent experience in eastern Europe, the coach noted, would be about following a different set of directives and a different voice from Team USA coach Jamie Dixon with the same willingness — if the aspiring star truly wanted to squeeze the most out of his opportunity. By the time the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays rolled around, Niele Ivey marveled at the quantum leap in her son’s maturity and ability to, you know, have an adult conversation with people. There are, understandably a couple important things to ponder now: Is he a point guard? “That’s what I told him: Whatever he’s asking you to do, you have to do it.” Everything Matt Painter did to that point in West Lafayette had been about encouraging and honing the aggressiveness that could make Ivey one of the best college basketball players in the country. Before a life-altering and paradigm-shifting sophomore season, before everyone gaped at that preposterous first step and a fully operational Jaden Ivey, there was a 6-foot-4 guard in Purdue’s practice gym awaiting a chance to make a name for himself. In the event Ivey didn’t know that or recognize that, his head coach provided a reminder.

With the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons landed Jaden Ivey and he is clearly thrilled.

Detroit [which picks fifth overall] could be an option.” Here is video of Jaden Ivey speaking to the media after he was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the No. 5 pick. Heading into the 2022 NBA Draft, it was pretty clear that Jaden Ivey had ties to Detroit and he would be extremely excited if he was selected by the Detroit Pistons.

When the Pistons drafted Jaden Ivey he became just the latest member of his family that will have played professional sports in Detroit.

Ivey's late grandfather, James Hunter, played defensive back for the Detroit Lions in the NFL from 1976-82 and tallied 27 career interceptions. "I've lived in the area and I know what it's like. "I would love to go anywhere, but Detroit, my mom played for the Detroit Shock in the WNBA," he said.