Jalen Duren signed a big contract after a lengthy holdout, so he’ll immediately be under the microscope from fans and pundits.
The early returns are encouraging, as Duren looked amazing in two preseason games, coming in with a lighter frame and looking quicker and more explosive.
But preseason doesn't count, and Duren’s entire game will get challenged right away by the Pistons’ first four games, which all feature different kinds of centers who could give Duren headaches.
Jalen Duren vs. Mitchell Robinson: Learning from the playoffs
Duren will start the season against the Celtics and Mitchell Robinson, a center Duren has only faced three times in his career with middling results.
Duren was stuffed at the rim repeatedly in the playoffs and had a hard time dealing with the increased physicality, so Robinson is the perfect early test to see if Duren learned from that experience.
Robinson is a great rim protector and rebounder and is one of the few players in the league that doesn’t give up strength to Duren. Can Duren pull him away from the hoop? Can Duren burn him off the bounce? This will be a great test against an elite rim protector with size.
Jalen Duren vs. The Heat: Chasing guys in the mid-range
Duren and the Pistons then travel to Miami to take on the Heat, who have an unconventional set of bigs in Giannis and Bam Adebayo.
Duren will have to chase Bam around the perimeter, which is not his strength, and then use his strength on the other end to try and bully the Heat at the rim. Has Duren improved as a perimeter defender in the mid-range? What does he do when he runs into two shot blockers at the rim like he did in the playoffs? We’ll find out.
Jalen Duren vs. Joel Embiid: Making Embiid work
I like this matchup for Duren, as Embiid is moving like a house at this point in his career, and Duren should be able to get by him.
But Embiid can still shoot and will try to draw Duren away from the hoop as much as possible. Embiid averaged nearly five 3-point attempts per game in his two preseason appearances, so Duren has to contest that shot without fouling or over-committing.
Duren should be sprinting for every possession, making Embiid work and using his athleticism to take advantage of Embiid’s lack of mobility.
Jalen Duren vs. KAT: Eastern Conference Finals preview?
I feel like the Pistons and Knicks were the series everyone wanted to see last season, and I wouldn’t be shocked if this is your conference finals in the East.
KAT is the league’s best shooting big man and a tough cover for Duren, as Towns loves to trail the fast break and pull up for threes and Duren is usually running to the rim.
Duren will be a handful for KAT defensively, and the Knicks have less size coming off their bench after losing Mitchell Robinson, so making KAT earn it on defense will be important. Duren should also be able to punish the Knicks on the offensive glass.
Can Duren effectively defend KAT on the perimeter without giving up too much on the defensive boards? Can he make the Knicks pay for their lack of size?
These four teams offer much different looks at center, and all of them will challenge different parts of Jalen Duren’s game.
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