The Pistons are expected to give Jalen Duren a huge contract extension this summer, but his performance yesterday against the Nets may have them reconsidering. Duren was unable to lead his team to a win against a bottom-feeding opponent. His impact on both ends was diminished without fellow young stars Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson next to him.
For Duren to prove himself worthy of a massive contract, he needs to be capable of carrying the Pistons in situations like this. He had 17 points in the game while shooting just 7-of-19 from the field. And his presence guarding the pick-and-roll also didn't hold up to his usual standards without Ausar Thompson disrupting the offense.
Jalen Duren needs to show that he's more than a complementary player
Duren's weaknesses have gotten exposed in the Pistons' recent lackluster stretch. He hasn't been able to dominate opponents with his physicality like he was earlier in the season. And without that key advantage, the Pistons have struggled to win games. It seemed reasonable that Duren would have trouble finishing over Victor Wembanyama but seeing him also struggle against Nic Claxton and Day'Ron Sharpe of the Nets turned some heads.
That's not to say that Duren doesn't provide tremendous value for the Pistons when they are fully healthy and clicking. He and Cade Cunningham form one of the best pick-and-roll tandems in the entire NBA. But teams are adapting to Duren's scoring and forcing him to make tough decisions out of that action. He's struggled to make the right play when pressured and opponents are learning they can pack the paint against him to neutralize the Pistons offense.
If Duren is simply a great complementary player, the Pistons need to make that evaluation accurately and pay him a fair contract. Getting anywhere close to the maximum of 5 years/$200 million for a player that can't create his own shot consistently could spell disaster for the team's finances. Under the current CBA, it's more important than ever that teams don't overpay players on their second contract.
Jalen Duren still has improvements to make on defense
Although Duren's defense has grown this season, he's still got some clear weaknesses. He struggles with foul trouble in practically all situations, which limits his overall effectiveness too. But his worst coverage is still against stretch bigs, who can exploit his lack of comfort on the perimeter. That could be a major problem in the playoffs, since many of the top East teams employ stretch 5s who are comfortable shooting threes or dribbling past slower-footed opponents.
Jalen Duren's growth this season can't be denied and he rightfully earned his All-Star spot in the East. But he hasn't quite shown the star qualities needed for a max contract player yet and the Pistons need to handle his contract extension very carefully.