What Jalen Duren must do to keep his job as a starter

4. Embrace The Noise

Duren is going to hear a lot of chatter this offseason about his value, his skills, and if he's a good NBA player. His talent will be questioned, along with his defense, his play, and his value to the Pistons. There was talk from inside the league ("At this point, it's 'Don't be that team.'"). There is nothing but quotes about the Pistons, the players, and himself that Duren will hear for the foreseeable future.

Use it. The Pistons greats have heard every negative thing they could hear, but turned it into fuel and used it to elevate their play. Duren, you're a Detroit Piston. If you want to be great, take every negative you're gonna hear, every criticism, every doubt, and out work everyone you face. Don't take the criticism to heart. Get angry.

Jalen Duren has everything a player should want to succeed in the league, but he's still 20. He will develop, but it's yet to be seen if he can be a franchise cornerstone. Right now, he needs to remember these names: Bob Lanier, Bill Laimbeer, Ben Wallace, and Rasheed Wallace. These are the men at center who built an identity and legacy in Detroit. Nobody knows if Duren can fill these shoes, but if he wants to, he has work to do.