Jaden Ivey has to improve his defense to be worthy of a big second contract, and he will get a chance to prove himself under JB Bickerstaff, who is the perfect coach to unlock him as a defender.
We talk a lot about “improving” on defense, which can be tough to quantify at times. In Ivey’s first two seasons, it didn’t take advanced analytics to see the problem, as they were glaring to the naked eye. Ivey was out of position (A LOT) and often caught flatfooted watching the play happen, something he was able to get away with more in college because of his elite speed.