The Detroit Pistons will not receive many awards for the season that just ended, which was the franchise’s worst ever.
That is not the case for rookie Victor Wembanyama, who will receive individual awards despite the Spurs finishing last in their respective conference.
Wembanyama just finished what is widely regarded as one of the best rookie seasons in history, one that will almost surely result in a Rookie of the Year award, first-team All-Defense, and potentially Defensive Player of the Year, not bad for a guy who just turned 20.
It takes luck to obtain the first choice in the NBA Draft, but much more so to get it in a year with a generational player, which is why the Detroit Pistons’ slip to fifth place in the most recent draft lottery was especially painful.
Detroit has numerous promising young players, but no one on the roster has anywhere near the potential of Wembanyama.
That includes Jaden Ivey, the fifth pick in the 2022 NBA draft. Ivey had an up and down season that was ultimately disappointing, despite some big games and a strong stretch. That’s why Victor Wembanyama’s recent interview on him surprised me.
Victor Wembanyama claims Jaden Ivey is difficult to defend.
In a recent interview with Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, Wemby was asked a variety of questions, including his major strengths and shortcomings as a defender and who he believed was the most difficult player to protect.
He identified some of the conventional contenders for a center, including Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, but then surprised me with Jaden Ivey.
He went on to say, “Jaden Ivey is super quick, so much so that even though you want to back up you can still get surprised.”
Kevin O’Connor’s response “Jaden Ivey?” revealed his surprise at the answer.
It wasn’t a name I expected to hear from a center, as Wemby hasn’t really defended Ivey one-on-one, but it demonstrates that Ivey’s speed is known and respected throughout the league.
I’ve been very hard on Ivey this season, giving him a poor score, but he does have apparent NBA star potential. He also possesses the mentality, as Ivey stayed in this season and kept working even after his coach demoted him from the starting lineup and his team fell around him down the stretch.
So, it was wonderful to hear Ivey get some love, even if it was only a couple of words, because there wasn’t much coming from Pistons supporters this year.
