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With 5th pick in 2022 NBA draft, Pistons selected Jaden Ivey

The Detroit Pistons yesterday selected Jaden Ivey with the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Ivey, 6-4, 195, averaged 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 0.9 steals in 31.5 minutes over 36 games for Purdue in 2021-22. Ivey garnered consensus All-America Second Team honors and was both a 2021-22 All-Big Ten First Team and Big Ten-All Tournament selection in his sophomore campaign. He became the fourth Big Ten player in the last 30 years to record at least 600 points, 175 rebounds, 100 assists, 30 steals and 20 blocks in a season, joining Draymond Green, Frank Kaminsky and Evan Turner. The South Bend, Ind. native was selected as a 2021-22 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year finalist and helped lead Purdue to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

In his freshman campaign, Ivey was named to the Big Ten’s All-Freshman Team after totaling 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.7 steals in 24.2 minutes through 23 games. His scoring average was the sixth-highest by a Boilermaker freshman in school history. He became the second Big Ten freshman (Miles Bridges) since 1992-93 to average minimums of 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists with at least 12 blocked shots in conference games, and was one of three freshmen nationally to do it against conference opponents in 2020-21 (Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley).

Ivey is the son of Niele Ivey, the current women’s basketball head coach at Notre Dame and a former WNBA player who suited up for the Detroit Shock in 2005. His father, Javin Hunter, was born in Detroit and attended Detroit Country Day prior to playing for the Baltimore Ravens as a wide receiver in 2002. His grandfather, James Hunter, also played in the NFL as a defensive back for seven seasons with the Detroit Lions.

Ivey is the third top-five selection for the Pistons since 1995 (Cade Cunningham and Darko Milicic) and the first player selected in the NBA Draft Lottery from Purdue since the 1994 NBA Draft (Glenn Robinson).

Pistons reportedly trading Jerami Grant to Trail Blazers

The Detroit Pistons are fully rebuilding, while the Portland Trail Blazers look to remain competitive. Via the Detroit News:

The Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night made a big move to position themselves for the offseason, trading leading scorer Jerami Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers for a 2025 first-round draft pick and additional second-round picks, a league source confirmed to The Detroit News.

Enjoy Thursday’s NBA draft.

Bulls and Pistons to play a January 2023 NBA regular season game in Paris, France

The NBA Paris Game 2023 will feature the six-time NBA champion Chicago Bulls and the three-time NBA champion Detroit Pistons playing a regular-season game at the Accor Arena in Paris, France on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023.

The NBA Paris Game 2023 will mark the Bulls’ third game in Paris, having played two preseason games in the French capital in 1997. Chicago currently features five-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan, two-time NBA All-Star and Slam Dunk champion Zach LaVine, and two-time NBA All-Star Nikola Vučević (Montenegro). The Bulls won six NBA championships spanning eight years, becoming only the third franchise in league history to win three consecutive titles twice (1991-93 and 1996-98).

The Pistons will be playing their first game in France, having previously played regular-season games in London (2013) and Mexico City (2019). Detroit currently features 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick Cade Cunningham, 2020 Olympic gold medalist Jerami Grant, 2020 No. 7 overall draft pick Killian Hayes (France), and 2021 NBA All-Rookie Team members Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart. The Pistons won NBA titles in 1989, 1990 and 2004 and made six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances from 2003 to 2008.

The NBA Paris Game 2023 will mark the first NBA game in Europe since 2020 and the league’s 12th game in France since 1991. The NBA Paris Game 2020 – the first regular-season NBA game in Paris – took place Jan. 24, 2020, and featured the Charlotte Hornets and the Milwaukee Bucks.

In addition to The NBA Paris Game 2023, the league and its partners will conduct interactive fan activities, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives and Jr. NBA youth basketball development programming that will bring the NBA experience to fans in the French capital.

The NBA’s presence in France spans more than 35 years. NBA games and programming have aired in France since the 1984-85 season, and the league played its first game in France in 1991. In addition to 12 preseason and regular-season games in France, the league has hosted interactive fan events, appearances by current and former players, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives and, in 2007, Basketball Without Borders, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program that has seen seven French players drafted into the NBA or signed as free agents, including Hayes.

Opening-night rosters for the 2021-22 NBA season featured 12 French players. During the 2021-22 season, live NBA games and programming air in France on beIN SPORTS and NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service, including 48 weekend games in primetime as part of the league’s “NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K22” primetime initiative. The Jr. NBA “Challenges Benjamin(e)s” program in partnership with the French Basketball Federation (FFBB), now in its 12th year, has reached more than 260,000 boys and girls across the country since the 2009-10 season. In addition to FFBB, the NBA has also collaborated with the Union Nationale du Sport Scolaire (UNSS), a government body that oversees the organization and development of sports activities in schools, to operate the 2022 Jr. NBA FFBB UNSS League for boys and girls in Marseille.

Chicago Bulls Executive Vice President – Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas: “It is a great honor to bring Chicago Bulls basketball back to Paris for The NBA Paris Game 2023 – an event that illustrates the league’s commitment to amplifying the national and global impact of basketball. Having played several games in Paris during my career, I know how special this will be for our players, our organization, and our international fanbase. We look forward to representing Chicago overseas and are grateful for the opportunity to do so.”

Detroit Pistons General Manager Troy Weaver: “The Detroit Pistons organization is excited to take on the Chicago Bulls and play our first-ever game in France. Playing a regular-season game in Paris will be a great experience for our players and coaches and we look forward to showcasing Detroit Basketball to an international audience.”

NBA Europe and Middle East Managing Director Ralph Rivera: “The Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons are two of the most historic franchises in the NBA and feature an exciting mix of rising young players and established All-Stars. Welcoming the Bulls and Pistons to Paris for our second regular-season game will be a highlight for fans in France and across Europe, and with Paris hosting the Summer Olympics in 2024, basketball and the NBA are well-positioned for continued growth in France for years to come.”

Deputy Mayor in Charge of Sport for the City of Paris Pierre Rabadan: “The City of Paris is extremely proud to host these two iconic teams in the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons. This is an exciting match-up that brings to mind the historic showdown between these Eastern Conference franchises. Basketball fans in France have been looking forward to seeing a game of this magnitude again, and I would like to thank our NBA partners for once again choosing Paris for this regular-season game. Paris vibrates with the sport of basketball all year long and this major event will contribute to further developing what is such a dynamic sport, so I have no doubt Parisians will be excited by this news.”

Accor Arena CEO Nicolas Dupeux: “The Accor Arena proudly hosted the first-ever regular-season NBA game in France in 2020, which captivated fans and showcased our world-class facility to a global audience. It is therefore an honor to once again host a regular-season game in 2023, which will provide fans with a great show of sportsmanship and entertainment as boldness and excellence continue to guide our programming.”

Pistons sign forward Braxton Key to two-way contract, waive forward Chris Smith

The Detroit Pistons have signed forward Braxton Key to a two-way contract.

And in a related move, the team waived forward Chris Smith.

Key, 6-8, 225, signed a 10-day contract with Detroit on March 24. In five games with the Pistons this season, he’s averaging 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game.

Prior to Detroit, Key averaged 18.9 points (48% FG, 39% 3FG), 7.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.5 blocks in 28.2 minutes per game with the Delaware Blue Coats, the NBA G League affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers, this season. In 43 career NBA G League games, he averaged 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks in 23.7 minutes, all with the Blue Coats. Key also appeared in two games with the 76ers this season.

A native of Charlotte, N.C., Key began his collegiate career at the University of Alabama where he played two seasons and was named to the 2016-17 SEC All-Freshman team. He played his final two seasons at the University of Virginia where he was a member of the 2019 NCAA Championship team. In 125 career games, he averaged 8.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 26.6 minutes per game.

Smith signed a two-way contract with Detroit on August 16, 2021. In 18 games with the Motor City Cruise, the G League affiliate of the Pistons, he averaged 8.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

Detroit Pistons sign guard Carsen Edwards

The Detroit Pistons have signed guard Carsen Edwards to a contract.

Edwards, 5-11, 200, was the 33rd overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and traded to the Boston Celtics as part of a draft-day deal. In 68 career NBA games, he’s averaged 3.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists, all with the Celtics.

In 31 games this season with the Salt Lake City Stars, the NBA G League affiliate of the Utah Jazz, Edwards averaged 26.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals in 35.9 minutes per game.

A two-time All-American at Purdue University, Edwards was named to the First Team All-Big Ten team after leading the Boilermakers to a school-record 30 wins as a sophomore. He also won the Jerry West Award as the top shooting guard in the nation, that season.

Edwards will wear jersey #20 for the Pistons.

Pistons forward Chris Smith undergoes ACL reconstruction procedure

Detroit Pistons forward Chris Smith has undergone an ACL reconstruction procedure on his left knee. The procedure was performed yesterday in Chicago with consultation from team doctors.

The injury occurred during the Motor City Cruise’s March 8 G League game against the Canton Charge.

Smith is set begin rehab immediately and will be out indefinitely.

The Pistons are 20-56 this season, which ties them with the Orlando Magic for the worst record in the Eastern conference.

Their leading scorers so far in 2021-22 are Jerami Grant at 19.2 ppg, Cade Cunningham at 17.4 ppg, and Saddiq Bey at 16.3 ppg.

The team recently announced that Grant is done for the season.

Pistons sign forward Braxton Key to 10-day contract

The Detroit Pistons have signed forward Braxton Key to a 10-day contract.

Key, 6-8, 225, averaged 18.9 points (48% FG, 39% 3FG), 7.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.5 blocks in 28.2 minutes per game with the Delaware Blue Coats, the NBA G League affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers, this season. In 43 career NBA G League games, Key has averaged 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks in 23.7 minutes, all with the Blue Coats. He also appeared in two games with the 76ers this season.

A native of Charlotte, N.C., Key began his collegiate career at the University of Alabama where he played two seasons and was named to the 2016-17 SEC All-Freshman team. He played his final two seasons at the University of Virginia where he was a member of the 2019 NCAA Championship team. In 125 career games, he averaged 8.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 26.6 minutes per game.

Key will wear #8 for the Pistons.

Pistons coach Dwane Casey is good at beating his former team

Coach Dwane Casey’s Detroit Pistons have been in a rebuilding phase, but despite that, his squad suddenly turns into a winner when facing his former team. Via the Toronto Star:

Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse, frustrated all night by a whistle that was blown a little too often for his liking, finally had it and lost it on an official.

He was ejected, but the 19,548 fans at Scotiabank Arena gave him a hero’s goodbye, cheering him back to the locker-room. Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey, who Nurse replaced as Raptors head coach in 2018, cracked a smile at the scene.

Toronto was down 16 points late in the third quarter when Nurse was ejected but the Raptors almost came back in a 108-106 loss to Detroit on Thursday…

Casey had been Toronto’s head coach with Nurse working as one of his assistants until May 2018 when Casey was fired in the off-season. Casey has a 9-3 record against the Raptors including six straight victories.

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