DETROIT — When Jaden Ivey addressed local reporters Thursday, for the first time since breaking his left fibula against the Orlando Magic on Jan. 1, he was undoubtedly in good spirits. Ivey couldn’t contain his smile at times while answering questions and generally had an optimistic outlook on his recovery.

Pistons guard Jaden Ivey is out of a walking boot and has begun weight-bearing strengthening exercises, running progression activity and stationary shooting as he continues to recover from a leg injury he suffered in early January.

Jaden Ivey does not view his unfortunate injury against the Orlando Magic as a dirty play. In fact, he was in so much pain that he didn’t care about what happened.

The Detroit Pistons are in solid form with less than a month to go in the NBA regular season. As the Eastern Conference stands now, the Pistons are the No. 6 seed and are on pace to miss the Play-In Tournament and make the playoffs outright.

Ivey’s season came to an abrupt end less than a week later, when he suffered a broken fibula in a home win over the Orlando Magic on Jan. 1. The Pistons have continued to win, providing additional motivation for the third-year guard to return and aid a potential playoff push.