Jaden Ivey’s promising preseason came to a sudden standstill, and Detroit’s patience just got another test. The young guard, known for his explosive first step, was expected to be one of the Pistons’ key backcourt anchors heading into the 2025-26 season. Instead, what was supposed to be a fresh start for a franchise in search of direction is already finding itself juggling recovery reports and lineup reshuffles.

According to Shams Charania, Ivey underwent an arthroscopic procedure to relieve right knee discomfort, a precautionary move, but one that pauses his season before it begins. The 23-year-old has been sidelined since logging just 14 minutes in Detroit’s preseason opener against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The team described the procedure as unrelated to his fractured fibula from January, but the optics aren’t ideal for a player still trying to reestablish rhythm and trust in his body.

The Detroit Pistons confirmed they will re-evaluate Jaden Ivey in four weeks, which pushes any potential return closer to mid-November. That means he’ll miss at least a dozen games, which, well, is a setback that ripples far beyond just box scores. Timing, as they say, is everything.

Ivey’s rookie-scale extension deadline sits on October 20. It is a tricky date when the front office must decide whether to invest long-term in a player whose availability is again uncertain. 

For a franchise still crawling toward stability, this is the last kind of question you want threatening overhead. But, to his credit, despite Ivey’s injuries, the man has got skills. 

Last season, Ivey showed genuine growth, averaging 17.6 points per game, shooting 46% from the field and an impressive 40.9% from deep, which are his career bests. He also added 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists nightly, often acting as the Pistons’ main offensive player before injuries derailed his momentum.

What Jaden Ivey’s absence means for the Pistons’ 2025-26 plans

That progress made him a symbol of hope for a young core featuring Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson. But this new delay creates fresh challenges for head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who must now redistribute minutes and offensive creation.

Marcus Sasser and Caris LeVert could both see expanded roles, especially as Detroit experiments with spacing and tempo early on. The Pistons’ offensive identity, built around drive-and-kick motion, loses a major player without Ivey’s burst to collapse defenses.

Extending Ivey would be a sign of long-term belief, but his latest surgery complicates that faith. The Pistons’ new president of basketball operations, Trajan Langdon, received a young roster full of potential, but also one that is yet to prove durability and consistency in the NBA.

Investing early in Ivey would tie the team’s future to a player who appeared in just 30 games last season. Still, when Ivey is alright, he looks every bit the dynamic guard Detroit envisioned when they drafted him fifth overall in 2022.

The upside of Jaden Ivey remains. It is the reliability that’s still in question.

In the meantime, Detroit’s rotation will pivot around Cunningham’s leadership and Thompson’s athleticism. The silver lining, though? This stretch could offer invaluable reps for the younger bench unit while Ivey heals.

If Ivey’s re-evaluation after four weeks goes smoothly, the Pistons could regain a near-fully healthy lineup just as the season’s rhythm begins to sustain.

The Pistons have seen enough false starts to know that the rebuild’s toughest battles aren’t just on the court. For now, it’s back to rehab and hope, two things no team wants to specialize in, but Detroit knows all too well.