Jaden Ivey may actually have a chance to return this season in spite of the awful leg injury that he just suffered.
The Detroit Pistons announced on Thursday that their former top-five pick Ivey underwent successful surgery earlier in the day to repair a broken fibula in his left leg. Ivey is now set to be re-evaluated in four weeks.
Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press also shared more encouraging information about Ivey. Sankofa notes that the Pistons didn’t believe there was any ligament or tendon damage to Ivey’s leg and adds that the four-week timetable supports the evidence that Ivey had a clean break, a best-case scenario for him under the circumstances.
The 22-year-old guard Ivey suffered the injury during Wednesday’s game against the Orlando Magic when Orlando’s Cole Anthony dove into his leg while going for a loose ball (video here). Ivey had to be taken off the court in a stretcher, causing both teams to be visibly shaken.
After struggling to find his footing to this point of his career, Ivey had been enjoying a breakout season with 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game on 46/41/73 shooting splits. While the four-week timetable isn’t meant to suggest that Ivey will be back in action within that frame, it does indicate a possibility that he could be back before the season ends in three-and-a-half months (with Detroit currently in play-in position at 15-18).
