The Pistons returned to their roots as they bounced back for a win over the Magic in Game 2, but Jalen Duren provided another lackluster performance. He finished with a pedestrian 11 points and 9 rebounds while failing to create any offense without a pinpoint feed from Cade Cunningham. Despite the Pistons' overall dominance, Duren continued to disappoint and may have hurt his upcoming contract extension.
Jalen Duren is hurting his own perception amongst the Pistons
Duren has struggled to assert himself against the Magic so far, and Wendell Carter Jr has often had his number. Early in Game 2, the Pistons went to him in the post and he was unable to generate efficient offense. He finished just 4-of-10 from the field, a far cry from the 65% he shot in the regular season.
The Magic are able to replicate the Pistons with their own size and physicality, but Duren hasn't met that challenge appropriately. Instead of being a steady release valve and strong secondary scorer to support Cunningham, Duren has shrunk in his role so far. His self-created offense has practically disappeared and even his effectiveness in the pick-and-roll has diminished.
After the conclusion of the playoffs, Duren will be eligible for a new contract as a restricted free agent. His dominant regular season and potential All-NBA selection sparked speculation of a huge deal nearing a max contract. But if he can't prove that his value carries over to the playoffs, the Pistons will be hesitant to extend the full possible amount to him.
Duren might still be finding his playoff groove
To give Duren some credit, he did bounce back in a major way after arguably his worst game of the season in Game 1. In the series' opening game, he was both ineffective on offense and a defensive weak link. His own porous defense, combined with some other poor defenders on the team, allowed the Magic to have their way for easy looks.
But he was much better in Game 2, even if he didn't quite reach his All-Star heights. His anchored the paint defensively and allowed the Pistons' wings to wreck havoc on the perimeter, leading to turnovers and runouts on the other end. Duren also found some offensive rhtyhm as a decision-maker on the short roll, either finding avenues to score himself or lobbing it up to Ausar Thompson for easy slams.
Regardless of what he did in the regular season, Jalen Duren's next contract will be capped by his playoff impact. So far, he hasn't shown enough to earn the gargantuan deal he likely wants, but hopefully he will still have plenty of time if the Pistons can manage a long playoff run.
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