By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Detroit Pistons just received its first major blow of the ongoing NBA season after electric guard Jaden Ivey suffered a broken left fibula during their 105-96 victory over the Orlando Magic on January 2, 2025.
According to the Detroit front office, Ivey already underwent a successful operation at the Henry Ford Hospital and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
Although the Pistons didn’t confirm if Ivey can still make a comeback in the second half of the regular season, several orthopedic doctors already ruled him out for the remainder of the year.
Ivey’s injury was graded as a high-level leg injury, breaking the calf bone in his left leg on the lateral side of the tibia. Also, Detroit is yet to make some additional announcements if Ivey’s knee ligaments were fully torn or partially damaged.
The injury happened at the 10:17 mark of the fourth quarter when Orlando’s guard Cole Anthony dove for a loose ball off a Cade Cunningham missed three-pointer.
Unfortunately, Ivey also came for the ball, and figured in a collision with Anthony. Moments after the event, both teams huddled around the athletic guard and showed their respect by clapping their hands and cheering for him before he was stretched out of the venue.
Before going down with a broken fibula, Ivey was having a spectacular game and was leading the Pistons in scoring with 22 markers in just 26 minutes of playing time.
In this year’s redemption campaign for Detroit, Ivey played a key role in helping them improve from a disappointing start last season, averaging 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 30 games played.
He is also the most consistent scorer in Detroit next to Cunningham and has reached double-digits in scoring in his past seven games.
Without Ivey, the Pistons will have to lean on Ausar Thompson and Malik Beasley’s production in their upcoming tough stretch against Charlotte, Minnesota, Portland, Brooklyn, and Golden State.
Prayers up, Jaden! Speedy Recovery!
