Pistons news: Jaden Ivey’s push and Jalen Duren’s wall

The Detroit Pistons came up just short against the Orlando Magic and the only thing Jaden Ivey is likely to remember from this game is the two free throws he missed with less than a minute to go.

But Ivey had one of his most efficient games of the season, scoring 25 points on just 13 shots and hitting 5-of-7 from 3-point range, including a game-tying long ball with just nine seconds left in the game.

He outplayed Rookie of the Year frontrunner Paolo Banchero, as he makes his own push towards the award, as the only rookie in his class with at least 700 points, 200 assists and 200 rebounds.

But the Detroit Pistons committed 21 turnovers and gave up 12 offensive rebounds, which was the difference in a game that they probably should have won given that they had one of their best nights of the season from behind the arc.

Jaden Ivey has now averaged 16.8 points, 5.0 assists and 3.1 rebounds in his last 10 games while shooting a scorching 49.5 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from the 3-point line. The area that has really let him down is the free-throw line, where he has made just 69 percent of his 5.5 attempts per game.

Ivey is on the rise even if the Pistons aren’t, but his rookie teammate seems to be going in the other direction.

Detroit Pistons: Jalen Duren hitting the rookie wall?

Just three games ago Jalen Duren dropped 30 and 17 on the Spurs, joining LeBron James as one of the youngest players to achieve such a feat.

But since then Duren has looked like a different player, as he has averaged just 3.3 points and 6.7 rebounds while playing just 22 minutes per game.

He’s looked a step slow, which could be due to the ankle he turned just before the All-Star break or the NBA’s youngest player could just be hitting the dreaded Rookie Wall.

It may just be NBA myth, but there seems to be something to it, especially for rookie bigs like Duren, who played fewer than 30 games in college and is facing the rigors of a full NBA season for the first time.

Duren did grab eight boards last night but scored only two points, going 1-of-5 from the field. Duren is currently chasing a couple of Pistons’ records, so it will be interesting to see if he can overcome his current struggles in the final 22 games.