Jalen Duren’s massive playoff disappointment must play a big role in his contract negotiations this summer. Even though he had a great regular season, many of his best games came against bad teams - giving the Pistons more leverage to sign him to a cheaper deal. With that considered, Detroit hopes to bring him back on a team-friendly extension similar to what the Rockets got with Alperen Sengun.
Jalen Duren’s regular season comes with an asterisk
Duren seemed to take a huge leap forward in the regular season. He increased his scoring volume and also added more self-creation instead of relying solely on feeds from Cade Cunningham. But his failure to replicate that success in the playoffs now has the Pistons searching for a more reliable secondary scorer.
But perhaps the Pistons should have seen his playoff regression coming based on the quality of opponents he dominated. The statistic that best illustrates his scoring leap is his number of 30 point games. In his prior 3 seasons, Duren only had one 30 point game, but had 8 this season.
However, 6 of those 8 games came against blatantly tanking teams: squads like the Wizards, Nets and Pacers. Ironically, one of Duren’s best regular season games against a tough opponent was against the Cavaliers. He dropped 33 points and 16 rebounds in an overtime win over Cleveland on February 27th.
The overall trend is undeniable. Even though Duren joined Cade Cunnningham as an All-NBA selection for this season, his value didn’t carry over to the playoffs because Duren’s numbers were boosted against weaker opponents. This paints an alarming picture that his playoff dropoff wasn’t just a result of nerves but also a fundamental aspect of his play style.
There’s still reason to be optimistic
But the Pistons don’t necessarily need to give up on Duren yet. Even with his huge playoff drop, he’s still chock full of potential at 22 years old. And Duren did display vastly improved creation with his dribble and shot-making in the floater area against lesser opponents.
The Pistons will need those improvements to translate against the best teams in the playoffs, but there’s still plenty of time for that to happen. Hopefully Detroit can bring Duren back on a sub max deal this summer and he can continue to refine his skills.
When Duren relies on his physical advantages and athleticism to generate points, he’ll be easy for playoff defenses to negate. But if his handle, soft touch and passing continue to improve, he will be worth every penny of his contract extension. Duren’s playoff drop in 2026 shouldn’t have been so shocking looking deeper at his regular season performance, but he and the Pistons can make sure that disappointment doesn’t happen again.
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