Jalen Duren has been a big part of the Detroit Pistons’ surge this season.
He got off to a slow start, or as he termed it, “soft” but has since shown clear improvement on both ends, with more active hands on defense and increased passing and versatility on offense.
Duren is still a work in progress at 21-years-old, but has done enough this season to potentially warrant an extension this summer, one of the biggest decisions the Detroit Pistons have to make in the offseason.
His performance in the playoffs will be a big part of this evaluation, as Duren needs to show he can defend different types of centers, particularly the ones he is likely to see in the playoffs if the Pistons hold on and get there.
All season we’ve talked about Duren’s inability to defend stretch fives, as the Pistons have been torched by just about every big they’ve faced who can step beyond the 3-point line.
Three in particularly have killed Detroit this season, and they just happen to be the three centers Duren is most likely to face in the first round of the playoffs.
Karl-Anthony Towns
KAT has put up just below his season averages against the Pistons this season in the two games he’s played against them. Detroit is 2-1 against the Knicks this season, and if the playoffs started right now, that’s who they would play in the first round.
KAT has had a monster season and is putting up numbers on just about everyone, so this isn’t just a Duren problem, but it’s the way he’s gotten them against the Pistons that is concerning.
Towns has hit 46.7 of his 3-point attempts against the Pistons this season on 7.5 attempts per game. He’s only averaging 4.9 attempts per game on the season and hitting 41.9 percent of them.
That’s a big bump in attempts and percentage and a lot of this comes from Duren’s inability to defend out there. He loses his man in transition, often allowing wide-open shots to the trailer.
He’s not been good at switching or fighting over screens on the perimeter, and it’s obviously something the Knicks have targeted with increased attempts for KAT from long range.
Myles Turner
Pistons’ killer Myles Turner is averaging nearly five more points per game against Detroit than he is on the season and doing it on stellar shooting from long range, just like KAT.
Turner has hit an unbelievable 57.1 percent of his 3’s against the Pistons this season, averaging seven attempts per game over their four meetings.
He’s hitting 40 percent on 5.4 attempts per game on the season, so just like KAT, Turner has feasted on the Pistons from long range.
Turner is another guy who is very good at trailing in transition for 3-pointers, something Duren is going to have to be aware of if they end up playing the Pacers in a series that would likely give me a heart attack.
Brook Lopez
Lopez has definitely lost a step or two over the years, but he seems to find it when he plays Detroit.
He has averaged 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocks per game against the Pistons this season while hitting 50 percent of his six 3-point attempts per game.
Like KAT and Turner, Lopez has been good about exploiting Duren, especially on corner 3-pointers when Duren turns his attention to securing the rebound instead of staying with his guy.
Part of the problem is that a big part of the Pistons’ defense is Duren securing rebounds to close out possessions, and defending these types of players takes him away from the rim where he is most effective.
This isn’t all on Duren of course, as he’s not the only one defending these players, but it’s an issue we’ve talked about all season and one that could rear its ugly head in the playoffs and force JB Bickerstaff to lean on Isaiah Stewart more.