Detroit Pistons: Good news/bad news from the preseason finale

Detroit Pistons: Good/bad news from the preseason finale

Good! Jalen Duren is a better rebounder and defender than expected

Bad! He is going to lead the league in fouls if he plays

When you consider that Jalen Duren is the youngest player in the NBA, I thought his preseason was mostly positive.

He rebounded the ball much better than expected (though he still needs to go after them more aggressively) and showed some signs of elite defense at times.

But he also showed a propensity for fouls, which is not uncommon for young bigs still trying to learn how to navigate the whistles in the NBA.

Duren took it to new heights last night, racking up three fouls in his first four minutes in the game and having to hit the bench.

Some of this was just a rookie getting some tough whistles, but that’s something that is going to happen all season, so he has to adjust. Duren had seven points and 12 rebounds in just 19 minutes, but he also fouled out of the game.

He has a lot to work on, and in an ideal situation, he probably wouldn’t have such a big role right away, but with MBIII out, he’s going to be in the rotation and the Pistons need him to be able to stay on the floor.

If Duren can give them 25 minutes per night, I think we’ll see him flirt with some 20-20 games this season, but it will only happen if he can stay on the floor for that long. Isaiah Stewart got some mentoring from Ben Wallace last season in how to defend without fouling and we may need to bring Big Ben in for a tutorial with Duren.

The final bit of good news is that the preseason is mercifully over.