Jalen Duren notched 22 points and nine boards in the Detroit Pistons’ opening day win against the Celtics, but it wasn’t all easy.
You’re not allowed to talk or write about Duren without mentioning his playoff struggles, so here is the mandatory statement that Jalen Duren struggled in last year’s playoffs.
Those struggles appeared to follow him into this season, but Duren was able to persevere, which is exactly what he couldn’t do last season in the playoffs.
Jalen Duren just has to keep grinding
I did have some concerns about the first four games for Jalen Duren, as the Pistons face four elite centers who all have different strengths that will test him.
Those fears were realized early in the game against Boston, as Duren gave the fans bad flashbacks to the playoffs. Duren got stuffed at the rim a couple of times, had an early turnover, iffy hands and looked as if he was struggling with Mitchell Robinson’s size, which was a factor in last year’s playoff flop.
Duren was even throwing his hands in the air in exasperation, which became the lasting image of him from last year’s postseason. This is not what I was hoping to see.
But unlike the playoffs, Duren kept grinding and got himself back into the game by crashing the rim on rolls and grabbing three offensive rebounds.
Duren also got to the line seven times and knocked down six of them, which is something that should be a weapon for him.
Last season, Duren was taken out of the playoffs because things didn’t go his way, and he couldn’t respond. He just kept getting more frustrated and couldn’t find a way to make an impact.
Yesterday’s start could have led to the same thing, but I was impressed that Duren was able to get himself back into the game and ended up catching a couple of lobs that were key to the Pistons’ comeback.
Teams like the Celtics that have multiple large centers are going to give Duren trouble, as he can’t just bully them, so figuring out how to make an impact in games when things aren’t easy for him is the next step in his process.
What’s encouraging about game one is that Duren didn’t play particularly well and only shot 8-of-13, which is an off night for him, and he still managed to score 22 points to lead the Pistons along with Cade Cunningham.
Overcoming early adversity is something Duren struggled with in the postseason, so it was nice to see him battle his way back into the game and make an impact even when it wasn’t his best night.
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