Most of the talk around the Detroit Pistons this past offseason was about finding a second star, either through a leap from one of their young players, or through making a big trade. It’s early in the season, but Jalen Duren is looking like he could be that guy, and if he is, it could mean a whole new level for the Pistons.
Detroit was able to make a surprise trip to the playoffs last season behind the brilliance of Cade Cunningham and solid play from just about everyone else. They got big contributions from their veteran acquisitions and key role play from the other young players, but no one would argue they had a second star.
By the end of the season, Malik Beasley was their second-best scoring option, and while he had a historic season shooting the ball, no one would mistake him for a star.
Both Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren have looked the part this season, though both have had their ups and downs, Ausar with scoring at the rim and Duren with being able to stay on the floor consistently.
When Duren has been out there, he’s been great and appears to have added some offensive weapons to his arsenal. If he can become a consistent threat, it unlocks a new level for the Pistons.
Detroit Pistons: Playing inside out
The Pistons haven’t run many plays for Duren in his young career outside of pick and rolls where he seeks out lobs at the rim, but this season he’s flashing more of a post game and trying to beat his man off the dribble more often, which is huge for the Pistons.
The Pistons don’t have a “go-to” play other than giving it to Cade Cunningham or trying to find Tobias Harris in isolation for post ups, so if Duren can consistently make plays with the ball, it opens up the offense and helps to balance the spacing issues that come from not having enough shooting on the perimeter.
Against Orlando we saw an aggressive Duren looking to get to the rim, and it paid off to the tune of 12 free throws, which fouled out the Magic starting center and got the backup in trouble.
There aren’t many centers in the league who can match Duren’s combination of quickness and strength, so he has mismatches nearly all the time, so the Pistons need to keep feeding him the ball.
They can play more inside out, force teams to react to Duren and use that to open up space for everyone else.
Duren’s ceiling is mostly about offense, so until defenses show they can stop him, JB Bickerstaff should be feeding him a steady diet at the free-throw area and in the post, forcing defenses to react to someone other than Cade Cunningham.
Right now, teams are happy to let anyone else beat them, but that will change if Duren can do it consistently. They don’t have to set him up as if he’s prime Shaq, but Duren is an offensive weapon they have to unlock to reach their full potential.