Jalen Duren has been having an incredible season so far, but struggled mightily on Wednesday in the Pistons' loss to the Celtics. The loss snapped the Pistons' historic 13-game winning streak, and Duren's 12-point performance was a big factor. After dominating lesser teams throughout the win streak, Duren saw that a well-coached and talented defense can slow him down.
Jalen Duren is not a consistent source of offense yet
Duren seems to be playing his way into the role of Pistons starting center for the foreseeable future. The franchise is leaning into an identity built around him and superstar guard Cade Cunningham, rather than pursuing a center with more offensive versatility. Throughout the season, Duren has proven this to be the correct decision by averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds per game.
But the Celtics were able to contain his scoring by sending frequent help defense his way. Duren was dominant in the first half with 9 points and 13 rebounds, but the Celtics adjusted to his physical dominance by disrupting him with multiple defenders. The Celtics' great coaching and overall team discipline allowed them to execute this strategy well. They also have incredible defenders like Derrick White who can genuinely disturb Duren on drives and roll despite a huge size difference.
In the second half, Duren had just 3 points and 3 rebounds. He did not make any field goals after the 1:17 mark in the second quarter. In an extremely close game, his disappearance hurt the Pistons greatly and forced them to rely on Cade Cunningham for the bulk of their clutch scoring. Cade was almost able to get the job done and dropped 42 points (including 12 in the fourth) in a valiant effort, but ultimately came up just a little short.
Jalen Duren wants to get paid like an All-Star next offseason and the Pistons will likely have to accommodate to retain him in restricted free agency. But he needs to hold up his end of the bargain and produce like a legitimate star if he's going to command such a huge deal. That includes being a reliable secondary source of offense and helping Cade create offense in tight games.
It's not enough to score 25+ points against the league's worst teams; Duren also needs to perform well against proven defenses that are specifically gameplanning for him. Now that the Celtics have shown the NBA what it takes to slow him down, he's bound to see more of the same coverages in upcoming games, both in the regular season and especially the playoffs. Duren's ability to handle the increased pressure and live up to star expectations will be crucial to helping the Pistons reach their full potential.