With the regular season officially over and the postseason quickly approaching, all eyes are on postseason matchups and season awards.
Jalen Duren's breakout season for the Detroit Pistons landed him on an All-Star team, but that was only the start. If you ask NBA mind Bill Simmons, he'd be one of the first to say that the big man deserves a spot on an All-NBA team, which is the exact conversation the emerging star deserves to be in.
Anyone in the Pistons' organization, though, will tell you it's about time that the Memphis product is getting the respect he deserves from outside the Motor City.
Bill Simmons believes Jalen Duren deserves a spot on All-NBA 2nd Team
When discussing the 30 most intriguing players entering the NBA Playoffs, Simmons took the time to not only highlight Jalen Duren but to explain his case for why he plans to vote Duren to his All-NBA second team.
"Night after night this guy is 20 and 10," Simmons said. "He's one of the physical most scary guys in the league, there's an intensity to him that he has that I think the team feeds off, and I think other than Cade [Cunningham], he's the guy on this team. The emotional fulcrum."
Simmons didn't stop there either; he made it clear that not only has Duren put together a career year, but he's only gotten better as the season has progressed.
"And I think he's gotten better as the year went along, too."
Averaging 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on 65.0% shooting from field goal range, it's hard to deny Duren's impact, and if Simmons is starting to catch on, it's only a matter of time before the rest of the league catches on too.
Not to mention, an All-NBA selection only gives the big man more leverage heading into offseason negotiations.
Duren is due for a huge payday regardless of All-NBA honors
Contract negotiations between the Pistons and Duren are expected to pick up steam this offseason, and that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.
The 22-year-old is already one of the most dominant big men in the game, and with plenty of room to grow in his development, the sky truly is the limit.
For Detroit, it makes total sense to lock him down on a long-term contract, and while it still may be a lucrative deal, it's safe to say it will be much cheaper than it would if the team opted to wait and negotiate down the road.
Regardless, an All-NBA team won't change anything in terms of contract discussions between the star center and the Pistons.
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