Those of us with concerns about Jalen Duren’s defense were reassured by his effort against the New York Knicks in last year’s playoffs. Now he just has to keep it up.
Jalen Duren’s possible extension has been the topic of heated debate, as there are those who think the 21-year-old is a no-brainer for a big contract, while others think the Pistons could be making the same mistake they made with Andre Drummond by investing big money in a center who is not an elite defender and can’t spread the floor.
It’s a tricky situation for the Pistons to navigate, as they will soon have extensions for Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland to think about and have to decide just how much they want to invest in a center who has not yet proven himself in key areas.
Jalen Duren is a great rebounder who has strong chemistry with Cade Cunningham in the pick-and-roll as a lob threat. He’s a decent passer for his age and size, a guy who can hit cutters and make plays out of the short roll.
Duren has a solid baseline offensively, but not one that commands $30 million a year.
To get that kind of money, Duren will have to be better defensively, and we’ve already seen signs that he can be.
Jalen Duren’s growth on defense showed up in the playoffs
Duren was a different player at the end of last season from the one who started it. Early in the season, he was flat-out bad, and I had big questions about his future with the team.
But Duren really picked it up in the latter third of the season, as we saw better effort and more force around the rim.
This carried into the playoffs, where he was very good, averaging nearly two blocks per game while playing huge minutes. I walked away from the playoffs far more impressed with Duren than I had been all season and there’s reason to think that should continue.
He’s now had a full season with coach JB Bickerstaff and that continuity will help, as will increased strength and conditioning. If you’ve seen any of the pictures of Duren floating around, it looks like he’s well on his way in that department.
People also forget how young Duren is and that it tends to take longer for big men to adjust to the NBA, where they are asked to do a lot more defensively. Duren had next to zero experience when he entered the league as the youngest member of his draft class, and he's still one of the youngest players on the team.
Duren can make the Pistons’ decision about his next contract an easy one by playing like he did in the playoffs, it’s that simple. But if Detroit still has big questions about his defense after next season, his restricted free agency could get very interesting.