Startling Wilt Chamberlain comparison proves sad Jalen Duren reality

Typically a player would be overjoyed to find themselves on a statistical list behind only Wilt Chamberlain, but that’s not the case for Jalen Duren. Duren’s huge playoff drop in scoring average is the second-highest in NBA history behind only Wilt’s historic 1962 campaign. The difference is that Wilt went from averaging 50 points per game in the regular season to 35 in the playoffs, while Duren went from nearly 20 in the regular season to just 10 in the playoffs.

Duren is having a historic playoff meltdown

Of course, we’ve all seen the huge hole that Duren’s no-show act has created for the Pistons. Perhaps we could’ve expected some regression from his impressive regular season, but never anything like this. Duren has gone from an All-Star to a subpar role player in the span of weeks in the face of playoff intensity.

His performance this postseason is arguably the worst ever by an All-Star. It seems like every part of his game has completely fallen off. Obviously his interior finishing and scoring have diminished greatly, but so has his rebounding and effort level.

Duren went from averaging 10.5 rebounds per game in the regular season to just 8.3 in the playoffs - all while actually playing more minutes in the playoffs. His defensive improvements this season have also disappeared and he’s left the Pistons with weak interior defense at times.

The Pistons have no idea what to do with Duren

Detroit’s front office will be in a largely unprecedented situation this summer. Never has a young All-Star (and potential All-NBA selection) been up for a contract extension after such a disappointing postseason under the current CBA.

The Pistons have been better without Duren on the court in the playoffs, but they will still want to keep him on the team past this summer. However, paying him a large contract seems like a clear self-sabotaging move. After all, he’s putting up an argument as the biggest playoff dropper in 64 years of NBA basketball.

In just a few weeks, the Pistons’ entire outlook for roster construction has been turned upside down. Before the playoffs, Duren along with Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson were viewed as the unquestioned building blocks of Detroit’s future. But Duren has put his status on that list into jeopardy.

Not only have his skills and physical advantages proven ineffective against playoff defenses, but his effort has also been inexcusable. Duren isn’t attacking the rim as aggressively or hustling as hard for rebounds and defensive rotations. Ironically, he was trying harder in the regular season against lesser competition. Now he’s running out of time to turn the tide and earn his spot on the Pistons long-term.

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