Before the AFC and NFC Championship games on Sunday, the Purdue Boilermakers were trending on Twtiter courtesy of Jaden Ivey‘s game winning triple to defeat Ohio State 81-78.
The sophomore guard from South Bend scored 21 points in the win, but the numbers Ivey is putting up this season are spectacular. He’s averaging 16.8 ppg, 4.9 reb, and 3.0 apg while shooting 49%/44%/71%. The only knock on Ivey’s game to this point in the season has been his defense and erratic free-throw shooting. During the opening segment on Monday’s edition of the Dan Dakich Show, Dan admitted that he would take Ivey first overall in the 2022 NBA Draft.
“This is not being prisoner of the moment. When I look around college basketball, I don’t see a whole lot of guys that can get wherever they want to get to with the basketball. I don’t see a whole lot of guys that combine that with shooting, incredible athletic ability, and the ability to finish. I see that in Jaden Ivey and he does all those things. I don’t have any idea whether his mentality can begin to get to where a Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or those kind of guys are, but I see that in him.”
It’s remarkable to hear Ivey’s name in the same sentence as some of the greatest basketball players of all-time considering he was just playing at La Lumiere School and Marian High School just 2+ years ago. Now where are the analysts projecting Ivey to go in the upcoming draft?
- ESPN, Bleacher Report, USA Today, NBC Sports – 4th
- CBS Sports – 5th
- HoopsHype – 6th
The really interesting piece in all of this is the fact that the Indiana Pacers are having a down season. They currently have the sixth worst record in the NBA at 18-33 and haven’t had a single digit pick since 1989 when they selected George McCloud. With 31 games left in the season, Pacer fans will be keeping their eye on the bottom portion of the standings instead of the top in hope that Jaden Ivey doesn’t leave the state (if he declares for the 2022 NBA Draft).
Listen to Dan’s comments on Ivey by listening to the podcast below!
https://omny.fm/shows/the-dan-dakich-show/dan-reacts-to-chuck-crabbs-retirement-with-don-fis
Subscribe to The Dan Dakich Show Podcast
Listen Live to 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan anytime and anywhere with the mobile stream!
