The Detroit Pistons are entering a pivotal Game 5 that could ultimately decide who comes out on top of this series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
J.B. Bickerstaff will have several tough decisions to make, but arguably the most obvious adjustment he needs to make is the one that'll be the most noteworthy.
Jalen Duren is living inside of his own head and his inability to snap out of his postseason funk could be the eventual downfall for Detroit if the team doesn't pull the plug before it's too late.
And after the recent comments from NBA mind Sam Vecenie, it's clear that Bickerstaff likely isn't the only one thinking about the adjustment that has to be made if the team wants to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Sam Vecenie suggests Pistons may need to bench Jalen Duren
In a recent episode of The Game Theory Podcast, Vecenie addressed Duren's series performance and pinned Game 4 as the point where he felt like a change may have to be made:
"I thought Jalen Duren was a little bit better in this series so far than what he'd been in the Magic series until Game 4," Vecenie opened with. "And I thought he was so egregiously bad in Game 4 that it's making me question everything as to whether or not you can continue to start him."
Duren has seemingly lost all confidence in himself, and considering how much the Pistons relied on the possibility he could be that second option alongside Cade Cunningham when the playoffs began, his inability to move out of his own way has done nothing but hurt Detroit.
The big man is playing with lackluster energy; he's gone away from the things that made him so dominant throughout the regular season. He can't catch the ball in the post, and he's forgetting the playing styles of his own teammates to the point that the chemistry looks off when he's on the floor.
At the same time, if Bickerstaff does make the move everyone feels he could, it may completely alter Duren's future in the Motor City.
Bickerstaff benching Duren could have larger implications
Duren was expected to get a massive extension before this disaster of a playoff run began, and he still may if we're being completely honest.
However, if Bickerstaff musters up the courage to bench Duren, it could rub the big man the wrong way to the point his restricted free agency turns into a saga the team doesn't feel like dealing with, i.e., the Deandre Ayton situation.
Although Duren may need the benching to reset his state of mind, tough decisions like these could have a much larger impact than just production on the court, and it makes it hard to determine if the move is truly worth it or if they should just continue to navigate around the glaring issues.
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