NBA executive on Jaden Ivey: ‘He’s a (Russell) Westbrook/(Dwyane) Wade type of guy’

peter2dewey@yahoo.com'
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One Eastern Conference executive compared Purdue University product Jaden Ivey to two legendary NBA players.

The executive told The Athletic’s David Aldridge that Ivey is a similar player to Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook and former Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade.

“He’s a (Russell) Westbrook/(Dwyane) Wade type of guy,” the executive said. “I like (Purdue head coach) Matt Painter. But if Ivey had been in a situation where they get up and down the floor and get more open, there’s no telling what he could have done. I know Detroit loves Ivey.”

The Detroit Pistons, who have the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, would be an interesting landing spot for Ivey. He would team up with last year’s No. 1 overall pick in Cade Cunningham to form a dynamic backcourt.

The Eastern Conference executive certainly seems high on Ivey given the lofty comparisons. Westbrook is a former MVP, and Wade won three NBA titles during his storied career.

Ivey played two seasons in college at Purdue, but he really came into his own as a scorer in the 2021-22 season.

The 20-year-old guard averaged 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in the 2021-22 campaign while shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Ivey improved his 3-point percentage by 10.0 percent from his freshman season of college to his sophomore season, showing that he has even more room to grow as a scorer.

With many people very high on Ivey’s potential, it will be interesting to see where the young guard lands in the 2022 NBA Draft.

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Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.