Before the Detroit Pistons make any decision about Jalen Duren for the future, they have to know if they are getting the Duren from December or the one from November.
Duren has taken huge strides this year and cemented himself as part of the foundation of this team. He and Cade Cunningham have great chemistry, and Duren’s rapid improvement has been a huge part of this team’s success so far this season.
But Duren dropped off a bit in December and has only played one game in January, so those ready to fork out a max contract should probably pump the brakes for now.
Jalen Duren November vs. December
Duren was outstanding in November, averaging 21.5 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while getting to the line nearly eight times on average.
After the first full month of the season, it not only looked like Duren was an All-Star at age 22, but a guy who was going to get handsomely rewarded for it at the end of the season.
It wasn’t that he was bad in December, but his numbers dropped back to earth, as he averaged 16.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists while getting to the line just 3.6 times per game, less than half of what he did in November.
All players have up and down months, and even a “bad” month from Duren was pretty good, but the difference in those numbers is the difference between a max guy who is a legit second option and one who doesn’t quite reach either of those aspirations.
Duren is going to get paid at the end of the season, but how much will depend on which month is closer to the norm.
If Duren is not the second option for the Pistons, then who is?
Duren is not getting traded at the deadline, but his play may somewhat guide their moves. After November, it looked as if the Pistons may have found their second leading scorer, that guy next to Cade Cunningham who can consistently provide 20 points per game.
As of right now, if the Pistons enter the playoffs with Duren as their second option, they may be in trouble, as he’s still not a guy you can turn to for a bucket and most of his scoring relies on plays made by other people.
The Pistons are undefeated when Duren scores 20 this season, but that hasn’t happened often enough to count on reliably in the playoffs.
This could prompt Trajan Langdon to go look for that guy at the trade deadline, as the Pistons’ offense could easily get exposed in the playoffs if they don’t have a consistent second scorer next to Cade.