The Detroit Pistons securing the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference gave them the advantage of avoiding the chaos of the NBA Play-In Tournament, but it also put one of their best players at a disadvantage he can't control.
Following the dominant 41- point performance from Portland Trail Blazers' rising star Deni Avdija in Tuesday's Western Conference play-in game, the versatile forward may have just seized the opportunity to sway voters in his favor with All-NBA teams still to be decided.
Obviously, Duren finds himself in a bad position considering he wasn't given the extra game for voters to consider, but the cold, hard truth is that a play-in game shouldn't be considered to begin with.
Jalen Duren shouldn't be in this position to begin with
Duren has found himself proving all season long that he's been one of the most consistent threats of any frontcourt playmaker, both offensively and on the boards.
The big man made his All-NBA campaign, while helping lead the Pistons to a conference-best record, something that should be considered when it's time to cast votes.
And while Avdija has plenty of momentum behind him, averaging 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists this year, it's hard not to assume that if he receives the honor over Duren, it stems from the monster showing he put together in the team's play-in win over the Phoenix Suns.
It doesn't mean that Avdija doesn't deserve All-NBA honors, because he certainly posted a career year worth mentioning. At the same time, though, his team merely surpassed the .500 mark, and while the team record shouldn't completely sway votes, it should be considered.
If Duren is snubbed, it proves the system is broken
The All-NBA ballots won't be sent out until Friday, the same day that the NBA Play-In Tournament is set to conclude.
If the league doesn't want the play-in tournament to sway voters, it's safe to say that the team should change the sequence of events for what is considered a regular-season honor.
Many are already opposed to the 65-game rule that Cade Cunningham could be falling victim to, and if the system costs their star guard and emerging center a spot on an All-NBA team, it will be an absolute nightmare, considering the Pistons have been atop the Eastern Conference all year long.
Hopefully, it doesn't get to the point where this has to become a serious conversation, but if Duren finds himself snubbed alongside Cunningham, it'll be a topic worth mentioning moving forward.
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