Few things are sadder than watching someone grapple with the fact that they're no longer the athlete they once were. Jaden Ivey, whom the Chicago Bulls acquired at the trade deadline, appears to be approaching that revelation at just 24 years old. After Thursday night's game, in which Ivey didn't see the court for even a second, he said:
“I’ve been dealing with knee soreness in my knee. I’m sure people can call it out — I’m not the same player I used to be. That’s why. I’m not the J.I. I used to be. The old J.I. is dead..."
There isn't any way to describe this quote other than "brutally honest." Ivey's self-deprecation hurts to hear even more because he's right. He doesn't have the burst, raw speed, or upwards explosiveness that made him such a thrilling college player and prospect. If he can get those traits back — which isn't a crazy suggestion, as he's played just 37 games since his injury — then maybe the "old J.I." can raise from the dead.
But in the final year of his contract before restricted free agency, it's feeling more like the Bulls won't be the team to bet longterm on him again becoming the player he once was.
Jaden Ivey is not playing like a longterm answer for the Bulls
I don't think the Bulls front office had any idea what it was doing at the trade deadline, but taking a flier on Ivey made sense in theory. If he balled out in the next few months, maybe the Bulls bring him back on a two-year deal with a team option in that second year.
But after last night, in which Ivey got a DNP (that may have been related to his knee soreness, although he wasn't on the injury report), the team is already quickly approaching a presumed departure for Ivey in the summer. That's sad for everyone involved, but mostly for Ivey, who is likely going to sign a one-year deal somewhere in the offseason just a few years removed from looking like Cade Cunningham's longterm backcourt partner.
It's not over yet. Ivey has had a few nice moments with the Bulls so far, and I don't believe he'll actually be removed from the rotation this quickly. But there may be a crisis of confidence within Ivey himself, and that's never a great sign when the team he plays for has been in a crisis of competence for years.