It’s only been one preseason game, but Jalen Duren is already turning heads with his play on both ends. Obviously, his efficient scoring in his first preseason game stole the show but Duren’s defense also looked great against the Timberwolves. If he can sustain that motor through the regular season and playoffs, the Pistons might morph into a title contender without drastic offensive improvement.
Duren’s strong defense can change everything
It seems outlandish to suggest the Pistons can take another step by improving more on defense rather than offense, considering their strengths already laid on the less glamorous end last season. But Detroit’s vaunted defense ultimately fell short in the conference semifinals against the Cavaliers and now they have to replace the impact of Isaiah Stewart too.
Heading into this season, it's not just the Pistons offense that is under question but also the defense too. Considering that Detroit will be asking for Ausar Thompson to take on a bigger offensive role, with shot creation elsewhere departing, he might not be able to provide the same all-world defensive effort as last season. If Ausar takes a dip in his defense, it'll be hard to reach the same level as a team - unless Duren can step up.
He was electric in his preseason debut with 2 steals and 1 block in just 15 minutes. Duren was able to create transition opportunities for Detroit with his defensive playmaking. And even outside of those explosive plays, he was solid protecting the paint against Minnesota's slashers. If Duren becomes a notably positive defender this season, he can raise his and the Pistons' ceiling while giving Ausar more room to focus on offense.
The Pistons need to be great defensively
In last season's playoffs, it was ultimately the Pistons defense that helped them come back from down 3-1 in the first round against the Magic. It was also that same strong defense which helped them jump out to a 2-0 series lead against the Cavaliers in the next round. But Cleveland figured out their offense and scored at least 112 points in the next 3 contests, all Cavalier victories.
If the Pistons had maintained their typical strong defense all series against the Cavs, they could have advanced to the Conference Finals even with Duren's offensive struggles. For Duren personally, playing stronger defense will give him a higher floor to contribute even if he's not scoring at a high rate. The best case will be him playing like an All-Star on both ends of the court, which should make the Pistons a very deadly team in both the regular season and playoffs.
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