Jalen Duren's future with the Detroit Pistons is up in the air, and if anyone had said that before the postseason began, fans would have looked at them crazy.
After a brutal postseason showing, it's clear that Detroit will have a hard time signing the big man to the supermax contract extension he's eligible for this offseason after a playoff run where he played like a role player.
Obviously, Duren's regression in the postseason isn't ideal, but if the Pistons are looking for any reason to give the 22-year-old center the benefit of the doubt, the center who just outdueled him in the second round may have just opened their eyes to why the team can't give up on Duren too soon.
Jarrett Allen clarifies how important experience is
Before Duren's disappointing playoff run, the last big man to prove the postseason lights were simply too bright was Cleveland Cavaliers shot-blocker Jarrett Allen.
After an underwhelming playoff showing of his own in 2023, Allen became viral for his quote stating the "lights were brighter than expected."
To this day, the big man hasn't really lived his comments down, and anytime he plays poorly, the quote seemingly resurfaces.
However, ahead of the Cavs' Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the New York Knicks, Allen stated how far he's come since those previous comments and why he's ready to change the narrative about his last battle in Madison Square Garden.
“That comment was that comment. What I said is what it is. I’m a new person now. I’ve grown, evolved, have a lot more playoff series under my belt, a lot more games under my belt …” - Jarrett Allen on his “lights are brighter than expected” at MSG quote during the 2023 playoffs pic.twitter.com/X94YS4g8ho
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 19, 2026
Obviously, Allen's path won't be the same as Duren's, especially considering the Pistons' center immediately enters contract talks after the leverage from his All-Star campaign was lost with his performance in the playoffs.
At the same time, Allen makes it clear that experience has changed everything for him, offering encouragement for Duren to share a similar career path when it comes to the playoffs.
Jalen Duren just needs more experience
Overlooking how dominant Duren was in the regular season and judging his potential solely on his struggles in the postseason is simply unfair.
Considering this is Memphis product's second postseason run of his career and the first time he's made it out of the first round, it feels like the Pistons star should be cut some slack, especially given Allen's proven that the more experience gained plays a major factor in postseason performances.
There's no doubt that Duren's contract talks change things slightly, but given his regular-season showing, age, and upside to further his development, it feels like Detroit giving up on the big man this soon after one poor postseason would be yet another premature decision that gets the organization in trouble.
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