Jaden Ivey 6'4" 200 lbs Lighting fast combo guard with flashes of impressive creation skills and a rapidly improving jump shot. Good defensive upside as well.

Strengths:

• Elite athlete with a will to improve.

• Has the speed to excel in open floor/ will thrive in open spacing of the NBA game as opposed to Purdue's clogged interior.

• Gets downhill in P&R and is a jumper/ intermediate game improvement away from being a PNR nightmare.

• Good finisher around the rim who will improve.

• Ranked in top 89 percentile in pick & roll offense as a scorer and passer and Teammates shots 47% off his passes out of P&R while Roll man shot 63% only on 11 attempts. (thanks Rafael Barlowe on NBA Draft Junkies for stats here).

Concerns:

• Must slow down before becoming a PG.

• What position does he play immediately when entering NBA?

• Must work tirelessly at intermediate game (floaters and mid range jumpers).

• Needs to develop better understanding of how to read PNR if he wants to become a star point guard.

Ivey has as good of a chance as becoming a star as anyone in this draft because of his athleticism and rapid development at Purdue in terms of shooting and facilitating that should continue. Ivey will be best suited to be given the keys early and let him grow and make mistakes in order for him to take you to the promise land.

The Rundown:

My favorite of the consensus highly ranked prospects this year. Jaden Ivey is an absolute joy to watch, on both ends of the floor. On offense, he is ALREADY an All-Star level slasher, easily one of the best slashing prospects I have seen. To make this point clear, let's think of everything necessary for an ideal slashing guard prospect. Long arms for finishing, strength for drawing and absorbing contact, burst for getting past a man. Ivey gets the highest marks in each category. He attacks the rim as if it killed his Grandma, and the defenders are relegated to passersby. The constant fear in the hearts of the defense that Ivey will catapult himself at the basket opens up the rest of his game as well. His gravity at the hoop is cosmic, and he works best when the shooters around him are constantly moving, like a planet and its moons. His defenders tend to back up and let him shoot, because even though that shot isn’t terribly inefficient, it is so much better for defenders than a determined, slashing Jaden Ivey.

His swing skills however, is where it is decided whether Ivey is lottery level, or generational. He needs 1 of his shooting or playmaking to be dominant, and neither are there yet. His passing is great, better than the 3.3 assists per game he is getting as of now (his turnovers are probably worse than the 2.3 indicates as well but so be it). He doesn’t have the most advanced understanding of players movement at this moment, and sometimes he is a little slow to take advantage of windows, and that needs to develop. He isn’t a tactician on offense in the pick and roll, he tends to take up the more simplistic bull in a china shop strategy. However, when he is in a rhythm, he has his head on a swivel, perfectly taking advantage of all the openings he creates, a stark contrast from last year, when it seemed as if he decided whether to shoot or pass the second he began to drive to the rim. His shot isn’t broken, not by any means! It isn’t fair to expect him to continue to shoot 46% from three, but his indicators are solid. Ivey has great touch in the paint, with a fluid enough shooting motion. To be sure though, his free throws could be better. and he has some bad misses (indicates lack of a repetitive form). Sometimes he rushes it on pull ups, but his shot has a ton of versatility, be it off the catch or the dribble, from three or midrange. I think it isn’t entirely improbable for both to pan out, in fact I am betting that both will be strong components of his NBA attack, but teams could be wary at the moment.

On the other end of the floor, Ivey is also very impressive. His on ball defense is tenacious, using his strength and wingspan to smother opposing players. I do not highly value guard defense, it is more of a “gravy” skill (one that is added onto a great prospect, can’t be the main selling point) but Ivey is still quite tantalizing. His wingside rim protection from the guard spot is very impressive, he seems to take great joy in rotating over from the corner and giving the driving opponent a jumpscare. He does tend to rely a bit too much on freak physicals at this point in his defensive development, especially on a Purdue team that doesn’t have the greatest on ball perimeter initiators outside of himself but I expect that once the athleticism of his opponents increase and as he is pushed into the deep end, he will have no trouble swimming. Off ball offensively is a solid picture but nothing special. He is a good cutter, violent in his attacks, but his spot up name needs to increase or the ball dominance of his attack will become predictable, and ball dominant guards rarely lead to championship level teams, especially ones that don’t have an elite handle or finishing package with his left hand. At the end of the day, Ivey is a legitimate player of the year candidate, on a team that is decidedly not built to maximize his strengths. Once he gets to faster pace and insane space of the big leagues, his game will be amplified.

I call him a bullet for a reason. Devilishly fast with destructive potential whenever he is set loose, can be used for attack or defense, and acts like deceleration is simply not an option. While there may be more surgical players, carefully dissecting the game with their little scalpel, a word to the wise; don't bring a knife to a gun fight.

Synopsis:

Dominant slasher and guard defender, intriguing weakside rim protector that could bring versatility, must become an elite shooter or playmaker, with improvements probably coming through left hand development or catch and shoot growth.

Shades of:

Dwayne Wade

This guy wasn’t really on NBA scout’s radars until the end of last season. The hype around him steadily increased up until college basketball tipped off. He…mostly lived up to his expectations. He is an explosive leaper who finishes with pizaz on virtually every play. Concerns were centered around his inconsistent shooting, but he has proven that he can hit his shot on a regular basis. He has good form and can finish through traffic. His slick handles make it a breeze for him to drive to the hoop. On defense, he is a tough on ball defender. He always gets in the way of the player who is attacking the basket. Ivey is a very complete player who really isn’t lacking much. However, he can definitely still work on becoming a more diverse player. He has the skillset and size to thrive in the modern NBA. Without a shadow of a doubt, I trust that Ivey will succeed in the big league. Ivey's growing ability as a facilitator should make him a lead guard at some time in the future.

Comparison: Donovan Mitchell

Projected Draft Range: 4-5

Best Team Fits: Orlando, Houston, Washington

Height 6’4

Weight 200

Wingspan 6’10

DOB 02-13-2002 (Draft Age: 20)

Pre-Draft Team Purdue Boilermakers

Offense

• Crafty to the cup and finishing. High level of confidence and aggressiveness while on the attack.

• Likes to use wrap arounds and reverses to slither around larger defenders inside.

• Nice use of shiftiness and hesis in his handles and finishing. Good first step.

• Competent and intelligent leading transition, but a sound finisher.

• Looks confident shooting off-dribble and in catch & shoot scenarios.

• Plays his own under control rhythm, not TO prone.

• Passing upside, above average playmaking ability who can make the advanced reads.

• Sound shooting base. Good balance. Could stand to get a bit more lift and speed up the load, but nothing concerning.

• Very good transition player in various ways.

Defense

• Heads up defender.

• Comes up with surprising blocks from behind due to elite recovery skills.

• Stays engaged. Definitely values this end of the floor.

• Plays the passing lanes for steals.

• Rebounds well for size, 7 rbd per 40.

• Already an above average defender with potential to be more.

Swing Factors

• Playmaking ability - With NBA spacing there is reason to be optimistic that his playmaking skills take the next level.

• Defensive Potential - He should be a positive NBA defender with room to be even better.

• Shot off the dribble - If he can create for himself on the perimeter and he has advanced playmaking skills we are starting to talk about a complete offensive player.

Role

• A highly skilled two-way guard effecting the game in a multitude of ways, especially when in space.

• LOW: Ivey's shooting stalls a bit, his slithery attack isn't as effective at the next level and defensively he is just alright. He settles in as a 7/8 man in a rotation.

• HIGH: The skill set continues the trajectory of being well rounded in almost all areas and the shot creation takes a leap. Suddenly Ivey is one the league's most well rounded young players and a steady foundational piece in a franchise, boding for multiple all-star appearances.

Jaden Ivey is an athletic combo guard who attacks on offense and can smother you on defense. He’s in a weird group where he’s not a score first guard, but not really a pass first one either. My best comparison currently for him is De’Aaron Fox.

UPDATE-

Ivey has moved up again. He’s a true PG for me now, with comparable assist numbers to those of Cade Cunningham, even though he has had a better team. I think he should easily get 5-7 assist per night. His jumper is also better than I gave him credit for. I think him and Griffin are the clear 1-2 currently, and I’m excited to see him in the tournament.

Ranking Scale:

Athleticism: 8/8

3pt shot: 6/10

Finishing: 8/10

Handle: 7/10

Playmaking: 6/8

Defensive Versatility: 8/10

Defensive Positioning: 6/8

Rebounding: 4/6

NBA Fit: 7/10

Total Score: 60/80

Tier 1

Floor: Core starter

Bullseye: 2+ time all-star, top 3 player on championship team, top 2 player on playoff team

Ceiling: perennial all-star, fringe All-NBA, top 2 player on title contending team

OFFENSE

Pass - Grade: 84

Notes: Ivey averaged 3.1 assists and 2.6 turnovers. I believe these numbers are very misleading, and do not reflect Ivey's true ability as a passer. Ivey played in a rather repulsive offensive system at Purdue, which significantly hindered his ability to put up better assist numbers. One thing that Purdue's system did show is that Ivey can absolutely throw a post entry pass, as he did this what felt like 96 times a game. If it wasn't a post entry, it was their bland motion offense. Nonetheless, this didn't prevent Ivey from being able to display flashes of his passing ability. Ivey showed on multiple occasions his ability to hang in the air and find open shooters when attacking or going baseline, this is an extraordinarily valuable passing quality in today's NBA. When Ivey was able to run PnRs he showed a great patience when weaving through screens, and was good at getting the defense to commit allowing him to dump the ball off to his big or score himself. Ivey was able to do this by changing speeds and using his deep bag of hesitation dribbles, he will be a good PnR passer at the next level. Ivey was in the 84th percentile in the PnR, which is pretty good when both of your bigs roll slower than molasses. There were times where Ivey would get caught in the air with no where to go with the ball, something he needs to work on but will also be easier to navigate in the NBA with so much more spacing around him. Ivey had plenty of errant passes in transition too, often stemming from not having a rim-runner and his lack of pull-up shooting. The talk of Ivey not being able to be a lead guard is a bit lazy, since he can easily get there. Ivey also turned the ball over often when he was forced to pick up his dribble in traffic. Ivey's inability to pass with his left hurts his passing versatility and allows defenses to overplay his right hand.Ivey is already great at manipulating defenses, has good vision, and is creative in his passing. Ivey is also very patient in his deliveries and is great at looking the defense off before he makes his pass. Ivey has proven that he is more than capable of finding open shooters and bigs in transition and in the half-court. Ivey makes the right reads more often than not and is a willing and capable passer that is only going to improve in an NBA environment, and he is very coachable and has a high IQ. Ivey clearly has a general understanding of where his teammates are at all times and the movement around him. Ivey will be a plus passer, but he may never be the passer that an elite offensive engine needs to be (which is completely ok and something that only a handful of guys are).

Dribble - Grade: 86

Notes: Ivey's handle is a bit predictable but it is undoubtedly very effective due to his world-class ability to turn the corner on any defender in any coverage. Ivey almost always goes right, but showed a very encouraging progression in his counters as the season went on. Developing his off-hand is going to be necessary for Ivey if he is going to take the next step a scorer, playmaker, and overall attacker. A lot of Ivey's turnovers came from the defense over-playing his right hand when he dribbled into traffic. Ivey really struggles to go left, it is not just a preference issue and it should be one of the main areas of focus for him immediately upon entering the NBA. Ivey has such a lethal first step and is so good at changing speeds and stopping/starting that his predictability does not really matter. He is elite at stopping and starting and then exploding into space. His footwork is really good, has great misdirection plants and high-level pivots in his decelerations. He is the most explosive player in the draft and it is not even close. His first step + coordination along with his footwork allows him to not rely on his handle in order to get to where he wants to go. He does have a nice bag of crossovers and tweens, which he loves to go to in his size-ups setting himself up for a downhill attack or as counters once his attack has already begun. Ivey has a lethal spin move that he uses before getting into his gather to finish. In isolation he prefers to lull his defender to sleep before using one of his many hesitations and then exploding to where he wants to his spot. Ivey is very good at protecting the ball and has a great retreat dribble that serves as a runway before he explodes into an attack or just to reset the offense. Ivey loves attacking out of his triple threat, using a jab or rip through to propel himself into a hesitation or straight into a drive. Ivey already has a solidified go to step-back, which is incredibly effective in creating space as it perfectly contrasts to his downhill attacking ability. Ivey is so difficult to stay in front of because he is constantly starting and stopping, constantly cradling himself back and forth allowing himself to turn on the jets whenever he wants and preventing the defense from ever being able to be comfortable. Ivey does this both in transition and in the half-court, no matter what speed his is going at he his almost always cradling/straddling. Ivey's downhill ability is going to be even better at the NBA level. With increased space and pace, POA defenders aren't going to stand a chance against Ivey. Ivey has an incredibly unique ability to go from a complete standstill to full burst in just one step, presenting a nightmare for on-ball defenders. This ability will also be very valuable for Ivey's ability to play off the ball, as he is ferocious at attacking closeouts. If a defender is having to closeout on Ivey, there is a very high chance that the defender will very soon be trailing Ivey as he explodes into space. Ivey's transition handle will be one of the best in the NBA from day 1. His ability to change speed and direction in transition is elite, along with his open court speed. Backpedaling defenders will be completely hopeless in their attempts to stop the ball in transition. Ivey will give one misdirection step or hesitation and leave his defender in the dust. This trait is not common and is very valuable. There are very few guys who have/can match Ivey's transition attacking ability with the ball in his hands. Ivey will join Fox, Morant, and Maxey as the elite open floor speed demon ball handlers in the league right now. Ivey is great at using his handle and body movements to navigate through ball screens. His misdirections and ability to change from a high stance to a low stance very quickly forces the defense to constantly second guess Ivey's intentions in his attack. Ivey is great at keeping defenders in jail as well, presenting PnR bigs with dreadful pick-your-poison situations. Ivey's best ball-handling ability is simply being able to keep steady control of the ball while simultaneously carrying out the explosiveness, change of directions, change of speeds, change of stance, and all the other ridiculous body movement and control abilities that Ivey can do.

3pt shooting - Grade: 78

Notes: Ivey shot 25.8% from 3 his freshman year on 4.2 attempts per game, and the propelled to 35.8% on 5 attempts per game this season. Ivey shot 72% from the line freshman year and 74% as a sophomore. The large majority of Ivey's shots came from above the break and at the top of the key, shooting 34% from the left above the break, 31% from the top of the key, 46% from the right above the break. Ivey has solid mechanics, but his release point is lower than it should be. Ivey's release a bit slow, but is good at squaring up and getting into his shot quickly. Ivey most importantly looks confident and comfortable taking threes. Ivey needs to add a pull-up three to his game, the lack of this shot hurt him multiple times throughout his college career. Ivey has a solidified step-three, is comfortable shooting threes when defenders go under screens, and is a comfortable catch and shoot 3 point shooter. Ivey's step-back three creates an enormous amount of space consistently, and it should be a staple to his 3pt shooting in the NBA. Ivey has legitimate three point volume this year and wide-variety on his attempts. Took a lot of deep threes and a lot of threes with a high degree of difficulty. Ivey was inconsistent on his three point shooting, having multiple 0-for games. Ivey never lost his confidence or willingness to shoot threes despite his percentages, and this is something that is very valuable since every team will want to play drop coverage on Ivey. Ivey is going to get a lot of open looks from 3 in the NBA, and he is going to step into them and shoot them with confidence. Ivey's inconsistency makes his shooting difficult to project, but his mechanics and confidence with the a near guaranteed uptick in 3pt shot quality are reasons to be confident that Ivey will shoot well enough for him to be at least respected as a shooter.

Mid-range shooting - Grade: 65

Notes: Ivey shot 29-100 on non-rim twos this year. Ivey doesn't have much of a mid-range game, and it is an issue that will prevent him from being a next level scorer. Ivey went just 12/51 on long twos this season. He doesn't have any go to shots in the mid-range, and when he does shoot from the mid-range it looks uncomfortable, awkward, and improvised. Ivey does have a great floater that he is very comfortable with and that he does shoot well, but doesn't have much range on. Ivey's inability to score from the in-between areas of the floor will lower his ceiling as a PnR ball-handler. Bigs will have the luxury playing heavy drop on Ivey until he proves he can score in the in-between areas. This is a clear weakness to his offensive scoring profile and should be one the top priorities as he continues to develop.

Finishing - Grade: 94

Notes: Ivey is an elite, monster finisher. Ivey shot nearly 60% at the rim this season on 212 attempts. Ivey is a freak athlete with incredible coordination and strength. Ivey glides into defenders and absorbs contact and finishes through them. Ivey struggles to finish with his left hand, this is something that needs immediate work/attention and could prevent Ivey from reaching his ceiling as a finisher. Ivey is a remarkable above the rim finisher. Ivey has great poise and touch around the rim, along with great timing. Ivey makes great adjustments in air, and has a knack for finding tough angles to finish. Seeks out contact to score and not to just draw fouls. He is elite at getting to the rim in every offensive situation. He is going to thrive with NBA spacing and pace, and his finishing is going to excel. Ivey is very strong with the ball as he rises up, and has limitless creative gathers to get into his finishes. Ivey is elite at the running back tuck of the ball as he gallops through the lane. Great at keeping defender in jail before he explodes to finish. Great as using his off-arm to hold off trailing defenders or rotating rim protectors. Very creative finisher - uses both hands for scoops, floaters, dunks, and just about every finish you can imagine. Finishes off of two or one. Ivey has the perfect mixture of poise and explosion as a finisher.

Off-ball playmaking - Grade: 88

Notes: Ivey is great off-ball. He's a great cutter, most evident in how moved off the ball on Trevion Williams' post touches. Loves moving off the ball to create downhill opportunities for himself. Can always count on him to cut, relocate, and space at the right times. Played often in college and learned how to be effective, will be very valuable in NBA.

Offensive rebounding - Grade: 85

Notes: Ivey is a good rebounder but didn't crash offensive glass too often due to the giant already standing in the paint. Wouldn't be surprise if he's a sneaky offensive rebounder at the next level, hunting put-backs.

Offensive Summary: 90

Notes: Ivey is going to be an incredible offensive player from day 1. Ivey has legitimate offensive engine potential. This is due to Ivey's unique, world-class ability to turn the corner and get down hill. Ivey is able to get downhill at a rate and level of explosiveness that very, very few humans are capable of. His athleticism and body control combo offer elite offensive potential. Ivey is already great at manipulating defenses. Going to be really good in PnR with a chance to be elite if he adds mid-range game and hits 3 consistently when defenses go under. Navigates screens really well. Shot will be swing skill, volume will be there regardless. Could benefit from raising his release point and speeding up his shot, but if he hovers around 35-36% like he did this year those changes won't be required. Needs to prioritize improving his ability to drive and finish with his left. This is an easy scouting report adjustment that NBA defenses will surely maximize upon when planning their help defense on Ivey. Ivey struggles in all facets when defenses over-play his right hand. Ivey is an elite, versatile, high volume finisher who will get to the rim at will. Will get to the line at a solid volume, with a realistic shot of getting to elite volume. One man fast break, will be one of the most dominate transition players in the NBA. If a defender is closing out to Ivey, it's pretty much a guaranteed good result. Ivey is absolutely lethal attacking closeouts, another factor of why he will be very effective playing off the ball. Ivey is great at getting teams into rotation, and just as good at capitalizing when teams are in rotation. Will be a good passer in the half-court and transition with plenty of room to grow. His offensive floor is extremely high. Expect Ivey to be 15+ ppg out the gate, with 8+ ppg in the paint. Ivey being 15-5-5 his rookie year is very realistic. NBA spacing and pace paired with his skillset makes it very easy to envision Ivey being dominant right away, with a very clear path to being an all-star. Ivey is true combo guard, that is comfortable and effective with or without the ball in his hands. That is very rare, and very valuable as it allows for him to play with various lineups and roster constructions. Ivey's C&S 3pt volume and percentage will need to increase for him to reach his ceiling as an off-ball offensive player. Ivey's passing and handle is not at the level of Morant or John Wall, and his shooting is not at the level of Donovan Mitchell. Ivey has the world-class athleticism, relentless downhill attacking ability, open court speed, paint scoring, handle, body contortion, body movements, acrobatics, motor, and is dynamic enough to be mentioned with those names as a prospect with a legitimate chance to have a similar role.

Defense

Engagement - Grade: 80

Notes: Ivey's engagement on the defensive end waivers, but he still has a tremendous motor. He falls asleep at times, and will look like he's just trying to catch his breathe. This is something that could definitely carry over to the NBA, but as he continues to get into better shape and continues to become a smarter, more aware defender it is something that should improve.

Containment - Grade: 84

Notes: Ivey's a hit-or-miss 1 on 1 defender right now but is an elite recovery defender. He struggles to guard bigger players at times, and can also be flat-footed when guarding quick, smaller guards. He also swallows up drives and blocks jumpers regularly when he isolated against. He has great defensive instincts. Good center of gravity, pretty good at absorbing contact. Moves well laterally. Has a great frame. Has all the tools to be a great 1 on 1 defender, and has already proven that when he is beaten or shut down at the point of attack he is elite at recovering and getting back into the play. 6'9 wingspan helps with this.

Team Defense - Grade: 83

Notes: Ivey's attention waivers, but has a knack for being in the right spot. Ivey has good off-ball awareness. Isn't very aggressive in the passing lanes, but is aggressive and on time in his rotations. He should be able to more aggressive in the passing lanes in NBA. He is great at fighting through screens. IQ is there but the mental consistency is not. All the tools and intentions to be a good team defender, and he projects to eventually get there.

Rim Protection - Grade: 86

Notes: Ivey is an awesome shot blocker for a guard. He has a highlight real of amazing chase down blocks, and swatting guards floaters and finishes that try to drive on him. He has even shown flashes of solid weak-side help at the rim. Ivey sometimes sells out for the block rather than the smart contest, which also prevents him from getting back in the play at times. He is a bit too eager to jump at times. He is a plus rim protector for a guard, and has some of the most tantalizing shot blocking for a guard since Dwade.

Playmaking - Grade: 84

Notes: When Ivey does make a play on defense it is tantalizing, but his stocks rate is not where it should be for how dynamic of a player Ivey is. Ivey was at 1.5 stocks a game last season, which isn't bad for a guard but not good enough for someone with Ivey's tools.

Versatility - Grade: 80

Notes: Ivey can guard both guard positions, and with a strong center of gravity and a 6'9 wingspan he should be able to guard some 3s too. He will fit into a switchable scheme nicely.

Defensive Rebounding - Grade: 86

Notes: Ivey is a good rebounder for his position. His motor, athleticism, length, and timing allow him to be an effective rebounder as a guard. Only 4.2 DREB per game, but that was largely because Purdue wanted their big to get the rebound so Ivey could walk it up the court.

Defensive Summary: 85

Notes: Ivey is not as polished on defense as he should be, but he projects to be at least plus defender with a chance to be a great a defender. Ivey already has multiple skills that will be valuable to an NBA defense from day 1. Ivey is an elite recovery defender. Ivey's ability to recover will be a massive luxury in drop coverage, he will be one of the best guards at playing from behind the ball from day 1. Ivey is great at avoiding and fighting through screens, and is very good at chasing shooters through pin downs and flares. His isolation defense and consistent engagement/attentiveness are the two areas of his game that need the most improvement. Ivey's lack of attentiveness is often confused for a lack of awareness. This is not the case, as Ivey is a very aware off-ball defender and has a good understand of the movement around him and knows where he is supposed to be. Ivey's ability to guard either guard spot and eventually bigger wings increases his value as a defender. Ivey has good off-ball positioning, and good instincts. His motor, wingspan, IQ, center of gravity, core strength, and verticality are all at a very high level. Ivey needs consistency, reps, and structure to reach his ceiling as a defender. As Ivey adds more strength, his defense will improve immensely. Ivey has too many positive traits, physical and mental, to not be a solid defender in the NBA. For these same reasons, Ivey has a very high defensive ceiling.

Measurables: 90

No combine measuerments.

Height: 6'4

Weight: 195 lbs

Wingspan: 6'9

Great frame

Functional Athleticism: 99

Ivey will be one of the best athletes in the NBA from day 1.

Elite vertical

Elite speed

Elite burst

Good lateral movement

Jaden Ivey isn't an amazing prospect but he has the easiest pathway towards becoming an all star caliber player. He literally only needs to learn how to drive and kick consistently which is a relatively easier thing to do. Needs to tighten up his dribble a bit too and get smarter in terms of shot selection but one of the higher floor prospects I think with decent all star potential.

Best fits: Detroit, Houston if they trade KPJ

Ivey is a very intriguing player. An explosive guard who is one of the best athletes in the class, at 6’4 with a 6’7-6’9 wingspan he is the typical size of a combo-guard. He has legitimate superstar potential and looking back on this draft class we may wonder why he wasn’t drafted first.

He uses the aforementioned explosiveness to get to the rim and finish strong. Probably the best at getting to the cup and scoring in this class. His has a solid jumper (shooting at 0.364 from 3 this season on 5 attempts a game) but needs to up his free throw percentage to take advantage of all the contact he will draw in the paint.

He is a really good rebounder for his size grabbing almost 5 boards a game which is a good indicator of the effort he puts in all-round. He is an alright playmaker and though he is averaging just 3.1 assists with 2.5 turnovers (not a great ratio) a lot of great playmakers had bad assist to turnover ratios in college. Trae averaged 8.7 assists in college but had 5.2 turnovers. Russ had 4.3 assists and 2.5 turnovers and look at where he is now.

Ivey’s defense is above average for his position, but nothing special. His quickness allows him to stay with pretty much anyone on the perimeter and he uses his long arms to get steals in the passing lanes from time to time. He also gets a chase down block every now and then with his great jumping ability. He will improve as a defender over time as he becomes more experienced, the same as most players.

OVERVIEW: I think the Russ comparison in general is a great one, both him and Ivey are explosive players, great positional rebounders and had similar assist numbers in college, who knows maybe Ivey will be the next Brodie. I think at very least he will become an above average starter in the league. The biggest question mark with him is if he will be able to play the 1 guard to a really high level but I have every faith in him.

COMPARISON: Russell Westbrook Lite

Age: 20

Jaden Ivey is an extremely good slashing guard. He’s very long and drives hard. His first step is extremely elite. He’s got pretty good strength already. He can drive in very well which makes players tend to step back and let him shoot. That’s a big problem, too. His 3P% is currently sitting at 36%. Any way you slice it, Ivey will score on you. Also, if you double/trap, he will give it to Zach Edey, the Boilermakers’ 7’4 center. Ivey’s also good at kicking it out to shooters on the perimeter, however he isn’t an elite playmaker or anything. His defense is elite on-ball, where he is always active and moving his hands and feet. Off-ball, he is also great. He’s a great weak side protector. Overall, Ivey had a very complete game and can become a great player.