Jaden Ivey Scouting Report

Scouting Reports

Jaden Ivey broke out as a sophomore following his appearance on the FIBA U19 team last summer, earning consensus All-American status at Purdue in 2022. On the year, Ivey averaged 17.3 PPG, 5 RPG, 3 APG, 1 SPG, 0.6 BPG, and 2.6 TOPG on shooting splits of 46/36/74. Below is his full scouting report:

Name: Jaden Ivey

Height/Weight: 6’4/200

Wingspan/ standing reach: N/A

Hand size: N/A

Position: G

Pre-Draft team: Purdue

Tools: Athleticism, P&R ball handler, slashing, playmaking

Pros: 

  • Thrives in quick offense
  • Elite change of speed
  • Crafty, acrobatic finisher that is hard to block
  • Tight handle with flashy dribbling moves
  • Good vision and creative passer
  • Finishes well with both hands
  • Glides in the air, especially on drives
  • Speedy and excellent blow-by ability; explosive first step
  • Strong recovery ability
  • Composed in P&R and navigates around screens well
  • Reliable floater/runner
  • High motor and good rebounder
  • Comfortable taking contact at the rim to draw fouls
  • Can recover from getting shut down at point of contact at the perimeter (see Illinois Feb)
  • Instinctual defender 

Cons:

  • Needs to speed up jump shot
  • Needs to be more consistent from 3
  • Needs to add mid-range scoring to his game
  • Low release on jumper
  • Needs to add strength
  • Pull-up jump shooting mechanics are a bit awkward
  • Needs to reduce turnovers/play at multiple speeds better

Overall:

Jaden Ivey is a speedy slasher with prowess as a P&R ball-handler that should be able to score at all 3 levels while being a good passer. 

While his shooting is a bit of concern, mainly in terms of consistency, shooting over contests, and mid range shooting, Ivey offers a lot of flashes to give reason for optimism of his shot scaling up well in the NBA. Ivey’s 3P% should be higher, but he took many threes that would be deep even for NBA standards. Ivey shoots well off of dribble moves, and he has an advanced package of space-creating moves. He can step back from deep, use jab steps well, and he can stop on a dime, which allows him to leverage his driving ability as a shooter. The free throw percentage is a slight red flag that could indicate shooting struggles in the NBA, as well as his lack of mid range scoring, but his offensive game should still warrant an overall positive rating even if his shot is inconsistent.

As a slasher, Ivey has elite quickness that he uses to beat defenders on drives, as well as separate against tight defense. Ivey has a variety of moves he can use to shimmy through traffic and get to the rim untouched, which allows him to use his good touch at the rim for a frequent easy 2 points. On top of that, his ability to stop on a dime and freeze a defense near the free throw line, while keeping his head up, make him a lethal playmaker that can bust trapping defenses. 

When Ivey gets a screen, he is elite at manipulating defenses. He can make a dropping big man pay by using his lethal floater, he can stop and pop out of screens that defenders go under on, he can get a full head of steam drawing fouls or finishing at the rim, and he can also find teammates for open shots with ease off of screens. This is an ideal, modern point guard skillset that almost every star point guard has in the NBA, which is why it is so easy to be enamored by Ivey.

Defensively, Ivey should be passable, despite needing to add strength and bulk up. His off-ball awareness is strong, and his feel for the game allows him to be at the right spots at the right times. He has quick feet defensively and outstanding recovery ability, along with a high motor. These are the traits teams seek in searching for positive defenders, so if Ivey can hold his own on drives in one-on-one situations, he should be a positive on the defensive end.

Similar to: John Wall, De’Aaron Fox, Ja Morant

Projected draft range: 1-4

Expected role: Electric starting guard with 3 level scoring and high-level playmaking ability, while being slightly above neutral on defense

Unplayable if: Unlikely he hits unplayable status, but his impact goes down significantly if his shot doesn’t develop/translate, making him easier to stop by planting defenses in the paint and going under screens against him.

Exceeds expectations if: 3 point shooting translates and hovers league average, while his defense also hovers league average. If these two things happen while the volume scales up, Ivey will be an all-star. 

Videos:

Shot chart: