Jalen Duren wasn’t good in the playoffs, which is the main reason his contract negotiations with the Detroit Pistons have been so challenging.
Let’s face it, if Duren puts up 20/10 in the playoffs and the Pistons advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, the ink would probably be drying on something close to a max deal, but that didn’t happen, so here we are.
There are rumors that both sides are getting close to a contrat that will meet somewhere in the middle.
The contract talks, and all of the working-class anger they’ve stirred up, have overshadowed the fact that Jalen Duren had a great season and is now set up to break through in the playoffs next year.
Jalen Duren’s playoff struggles weren’t all on him
There is no doubt that Duren struggled to adjust to the playoffs, and it wasn’t something the Pistons could overcome, as they needed him to be the regular season version of himself.
But offense is easier to come by in the regular season, especially for a guy like Duren, who mostly relies on power moves around the rim. The Pistons were able to bully their way to the playoffs, but once the games slowed down and became more about the half court, Detroit was exposed.
The Pistons only had one elite shooter last season, something they were able to get away with in the regular season when they dominated points in the paint and racked up fast break points off their defense, things that are harder to do in the playoffs when defenses are allowed to be more physical and are selling out to stop transition buckets.
This made Duren and the Pistons exceedingly easy to defend, as both the Magic and Cavs just packed the paint and dared Detroit to shoot from the outside. That crowded paint did Duren no favors, as he was suddenly rolling into two big defenders who knew exactly what he wanted to do.
The pick-and-roll game was suffocated, and Duren’s face up game was ineffective with so many bodies in the lane. I should also say that both the Magic and Cavs were tailor-made to defend the Pistons, as both teams had multiple big men to throw at Duren.
I am not making excuses for Duren here, as it’s his job to figure this out, but he was put in a tough position to succeed, especially for a young player facing playoff expectations for the first time.
The Pistons have more space around Duren
Detroit added a glut of shooting this summer with John Collins, Isaiah Joe and Taurean Prince, all of whom will help make life easier for Duren.
Instead of having Tobias Harris clogging up the post with him, he’ll have Collins and Prince stretching the floor to the 3-point line, which should increase space in the middle for Duren.
Being able to always have two shooters flanking Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Duren should loosen defenses and make it more difficult for them to collapse into the paint.
On top of that, Duren will be better and will undoubtedly show improvement in his jumper and face up game, things he can do to help himself.
The contract has been all of the talk, but there should be more optimism around a young, All-NBA center whose team is a better fit around him.
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