Jalen Duren's disaster of a postseason continued in Game 5, and it's safe to say that the Detroit Pistons are in trouble.
Detroit heads back to Cleveland in a do-or-die situation with their season on the line, and considering how well the team has played with their backs against the wall, that may be the best-case scenario for the Pistons at this point.
However, even if the Pistons manage to keep their championship dreams alive, it won't change that the worst possible outcome from this series is the looming question surrounding Duren's future in the Motor City.
It's hard to paint the picture of just how bad Duren has been for Detroit through the postseason, and honestly, the reality check that Charles Barkley's recent comments offered about the big man's struggles perfectly displays just how bad the playoffs have been for the breakout center.
Charles Barkley offers brutal honesty on Jalen Duren's struggles
Ahead of Game 5, Barkley and the rest of the Inside the NBA crew had plenty to say about the Pistons, most of which stemmed from the team's rough loss in Game 4.
The former NBA star has been known to tell it how it is, and his comments about Duren's two-rebound performance to start the week off proved exactly that.
"His [Duren] whole game is offensive rebounds and lob dunks from Cade [Cunningham]," Barkley said. "He should never have two rebounds, ever. That's two more than a dead person."
It's hard to argue against Barkley's outlandish evaluation, but the reality is, Duren really has become dependent on Cunningham throughout the postseason, and his offensive struggles have led him to carry over his issues to the other areas of his game.
And the cold, hard truth ahead of what could be the final game of the season for the Pistons is that if Duren fails to show up again, Detroit may not prevail this time around, even with Cunningham playing the hero.
Duren has to wake up for Pistons to win this series
ESPN's Vince Goodwill said from the jump that the winner of this series would be decided by the frontcourt battle between Duren and Cleveland Cavaliers' Evan Mobley.
Over the last couple of games, that prediction has deemed true with Mobley outplaying the Pistons' big man to the point it seems relevant to Cleveland's three-game winning streak.
Duren has to wake up at some point, especially if Detroit hopes to flip the momentum back in their favor, and if he doesn't, not only will the Pistons' season be on the line, but so will the max extension he hoped to sign this offseason.
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