Pistons' Jaden Ivey Progressing in Leg Injury Rehab Ahead of 2025 NBA Playoffs

After suffering a devastating leg injury at the start of the year, Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey is moving in a positive direction.

The Pistons announced on Thursday that Ivey "continues to make progress" as he recovers from a broken left fibula suffered on Jan. 1, and he has been cleared to return to basketball activities. He will begin his reconditioning phase before transitioning to on-court work, and his status will be updated in two weeks.

Despite being limited to just 30 games this season, Ivey still ranks second on the Pistons after averaging a career-high 17.6 points per game. Detroit ranks sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 43-36 record and clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2018-19, so getting Ivey back in the lineup would surely boost the team's chances for success in the postseason.

Ivey spoke to reporters for the first time last month and said he was motivated to return to the court this year.

"It’s been really quick, honestly, since I got injured," Ivey said on March 13, per Marlowe Atler of the Detroit Free Press. "I feel like things are progressing well. I’m doing my treatments on top of everything, I'm lining up to make a return. Whatever the time may be, I’m just trying to take it day by day. I know my body and I know when I’m ready to get back on the court and go full-throttle. I want to be out there so bad. I’m putting in the work to get back."

When asked about Ivey's potential return last Saturday, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff expressed that the team is still taking a cautious approach.

"We’ll take our time and we’re not going to ever put him in a position where we feel it’s forced or rushed, where something even worse can happen," Bickerstaff said, per Atler.

The Pistons will be in action on Thursday night against the New York Knicks (50-29), who could be their first-round opponent if they clinch the No. 3 seed in the East.