Pistons' Jaden Ivey undergoes surgery to repair broken fibula

Jaden Ivey's resurgent season has hit a roadblock.

The third-year guard suffered a broken fibula following an on-court collision in the Detroit Pistons' win on Wednesday, the team announced.

Detroit added that Ivey successfully underwent surgery on Thursday morning to repair the injury.

The 22-year-old went after a loose ball early in the fourth quarter when a diving Cole Anthony crashed into his knee and lower left leg. Ivey was immediately writhing in pain and was eventually stretchered off the court. The Pistons guard was averaging career highs in scoring (17.6), rebounds (4.1) and three-point percentage (40.9).

"I promise to come back even better. The recovery starts now," Ivey wrote in a social-media post.

The former fifth overall pick in 2022 bounced back from a sophomore slump that saw his production and minutes dip from a successful rookie campaign. Part of that was because his role was in flux for chunks of 2023-24 under former head coach Monty Williams -- starting 11 fewer games than his first year while failing to see the floor for multiple crunch-time scenarios.

Under new coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Ivey's numbers have reached new highs while his role has remained consistent.

"It's tough on all of us," Bickerstaff said following the win on Wednesday. "There's no better person, teammate than (Ivey) and no one cares more about this thing than him. It's tough to see."

Ivey's success has also helped the Pistons take a major step forward this year. At 15-18 and ninth in the Eastern Conference, Detroit seems far removed from the team that won the fewest games in the NBA last season with just 14.

While it appears unlikely that Ivey will return this year, Detroit has not ruled him out for the season. The team going to reevaluate the injury in four weeks and provide updates on the guard's recovery timeline as appropriate.

The Pistons return to action on Friday when they host the Charlotte Hornets.