The Detroit Pistons have all but choked this series away against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and arguably the biggest reason why is the fact that their supposed second option has failed to show up for the second straight series.
Entering the postseason, Jalen Duren had high expectations and a prime opportunity to prove worthy of the massive offseason extension he was set to sign.
Instead, the big man has seemingly lost confidence in himself at the most inopportune time and, in turn, put Detroit in a position to waste the No. 1 seed they fought hard for all season long.
Following Game 1, ESPN's Vince Goodwill predicted that the winner of this Eastern Conference Semifinals series would be decided by the matchup between Duren and Cavaliers' big man Evan Mobley, both of whom struggled to start the series.
Fast forward to now, that prediction is proving right and coming back to haunt the Pistons in the one way the team feared.
Evan Mobley is outplaying Jalen Duren
Mobley has been a defensive menace through the entirety of this series, but over the last two games specifically, Cleveland's versatile center has been otherworldly on that side of the court.
Offensively, he's finally starting to put it together, too, finishing with double digits in each of the last two games, while proving to be a reliable facilitator for Kenny Atkinson's offense.
As for Duren, the Memphis product seems to be getting further away from the player he was in the regular season.
Duren doesn't seem to trust himself at all on the offensive side of the floor, and at times, it seems he's intentionally shying away from having the ball in his hands.
To make matters worse, his offensive lapses have seemed to impact the rest of his game, with his energy taking a huge dive.
And in what could have been a huge bounce-back situation for Duren after his abysmal round one showing, it has now turned into an offseason question that even the Pistons don't have an answer for.
How can the Pistons justify paying Duren?
It's one thing for Duren not to be able to be the second option alongside Cade Cunningham in the postseason, but it's a completely different story when he looks unplayable in the postseason as a whole.
The big man could've had an argument if he proved to be at least a dominant force in the paint, even if he wasn't posting superstar numbers.
However, being labeled as a playoff dropper and a weak link for the Pistons makes it feel almost impossible that Detroit's front office can ink him to a massive extension and then look the fanbase in the eyes after.
Detroit will have a massive question looming this offseason, and Duren can thank himself for that.
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