Jalen Duren went just five for nine last night from the field against the Magic but still ended up with 21 points because he got to the line a team-high 12 times and made all but one of them.
Free throws have been an issue for the Pistons early in the season, as they are fouling way too much and giving up too many free throws on defense and not cashing in on the free throws they get on the other end.
The Pistons are 12th in free-throw attempts per game in the young season, but just 18th in percentage, though that has been trending up the last three games, with them hitting over 82 percent as a team, which would be good for top 10 in the league.
A big part of that has been Duren, who is not only getting to the line more this season but is making them at a higher rate. Both of his big games this season have come because Duren got the line and made his free throws, something that could catapult him into the All-Star conversation if he can do it consistently.
Jalen Duren: Free throws are key to keeping defenses honest
Duren’s free-throw shooting has been a roller coaster in his short career, as he was bad his rookie season (61 percent), great his second season (79 percent), back to terrible last season (67 percent) and back to good so far this season at just under 79 percent again.
This is a huge weapon for a physical player like Duren who is going to endure his share of contact. He’s so quick and strong that defenders are often stuck in a tough spot, having to choose between fouling Duren to stop him or simply allowing him to have the dunk.
The Magic chose the former last night and sent Duren to the stripe 12 times, which helped him drop 21 points even though he only took nine shots.
Duren is strong enough to power through most guys, so even fouling him isn’t easy and takes its toll on the defense, both physically and in terms of fouls, as we saw last night when Wendell Carter Jr. fouled out and his backup Goga Bitadze also got into foul trouble.
So far on the season, Duren is shooting just under five free throws per game, which is a career high, up from 3.1 per game last season, so this is a trend worth watching, as it’s a clear way for Duren to increase his scoring average by a couple of points per game without getting extra plays called for him.
It’s been an up and down start for Duren, but his free-throw attempts and percentage are trending up, which is a great sign for his chances to ascend to an All-Star level.