Jalen Duren's improved offense has drawn a lot of attention this season, and rightfully so. But his defensive changes from last season have been arguably even more important for the Pistons. The differences in his defense may not be immediately obvious, but they are hugely consequential to Detroit's success. Duren deserves a ton of credit for putting in the hard work to improve on that end.
Duren's defense has been a game-changer for the Pistons
Compared to last season, Duren has been a much better rim protector and switchable defender. Last season, it felt like the Pistons were downgrading noticeably on defense when they had Duren in the game at center instead of teammate Isaiah Stewart. But this season, Duren has held his own and made crucial rotations much easier for the coaching staff.
With his improved timing and quickness, Duren has been able to limit opposing centers and ball-handlers in pick-and-rolls or other actions. Opposing teams are no longer able to gain an automatic advantage by targeting Duren repeatedly. In turn, that helps his teammates cause more defensive havoc on the perimeter and pushes Detroit up to a dominant defense.
His biggest weakness probably remains against stretch bigs, especially those excel in pick-and-pop situations. However, Duren has improved dramatically in that area too compared to last season. Shooting centers can still get some shots off against him but he's much better at recovering to them and containing the ball at the same time.
Jalen Duren has answered the biggest question about his game
After last season's playoffs, it became clear that Duren had the potential to dominate the game offensively with his physicality. He showed flashes of higher scoring and playmaking against the Knicks in their first-round series and also averaged a monstrous 4.3 offensive rebounds per game. But Duren was a weak point for the Pistons' defense that was routinely exploited by Karl-Anthony Towns.
Duren took that weakness to heart and set out last summer to improve his defense. And it's quickly paid off this season. The Pistons have immediately risen up to a top 3 defense in the NBA and the first seed in the East with Duren anchoring the defense. He's been able to prop it up to very high levels even when other elite defenders, like Stewart and Ausar Thompson, miss time.
Jalen Duren's offensive explosion has come quicker and with more skill than anyone aside from himself expected. But his defensive transformation may be the secret element that truly makes him worthy of a huge contract extension this summer. Duren bet on himself by refusing to sign lower offers last summer as a restricted free agent; now that he's put in the work, it'll pay off for both player and team soon.