The Pistons extended their win streak on Monday night behind a dominant performance from the returning Jalen Duren, who finished with 31 points and 15 rebounds on a ridiculous 12/13 shooting split. Duren's emerging stardom has given the Pistons more options to succeed on offense and rest Cade Cunningham during their crusade to contending in the East. He's also rapidly earning his way into a massive contract extension, which the Pistons will happily give out if he keeps up this level of play.
Duren has been one of the best centers in the NBA
Duren proved that he can be the focal point of the offense and operate as a star without Cade, who missed his third straight game. With the Pistons' offense relying on inconsistent or unproven players in Cade's absence, Duren stepped up to establish himself as a premier threat. He's often been the beneficiary of Cade's playmaking in the past, but showed his scoring versatility to great effect against the Pacers.
While Duren did have his fair share of alley-oop and pick-and-roll finishes, now being fed by backup options like Daniss Jenkins, he also displayed some self-creation against Indiana's inferior bigs. He had multiple midrange buckets, including a dazzling pull-up off an impressive crossover in the second quarter. In addition to his usual physical dominance on the inside, Duren consistently blew by opposing centers with his ever-improving handle.
If Duren can step up to be an offensive hub with or without Cade on the floor, he will undeniably prove that he's worthy of a huge payday this offseason. The Pistons decided not to extend him last summer after he reportedly asked for over $30 million per season in an extension. At the time, this seemed like a huge overpay compared to Duren's previous body of work. But he is now living up to that amount and even more with his two-way dominance.
Duren's offensive potential was clear the last two seasons, but he has expanded his game to a level that not even the most optimistic fans could have predicted. He's doubled down on his pre-existing strengths with his physicality and finishing, but also added new elements in shooting (especially at the free-throw line) and ball handling.
Additionally, Duren has made huge strides defensively in both paint protection and switching out onto the perimeter. In this game, he helped restrict the Pacers to just 42% shooting from the field overall and only 46 points in the first half. Using his athletic gifts to dominate defensively takes his contract value to another level.
And the most promising part - Duren is still so young. He's now averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds per game, but doesn't turn 22 until the day after this incredible performance.