Jalen Duren and the Detroit Pistons are running out of time waiting for his official arrival in the postseason. Duren, a force to be reckoned with in the regular season, has been a disaster through three games in the postseason. That, coupled with Cade Cunningham delivering his first dud of the playoffs in Game 3, means the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons are facing a 2-1 hole on the road in Orlando. Things have to change, and they have to change now.
Game Vitals
When: 8 p.m. ET Where: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
Watch: Peacock/NBC Odds: Pistons -3.5
Analysis
Sadly, analyzing this series has gotten incredibly simple. Jalen Duren either shows up or the Pistons are cooked. We pretty much know how the Orlando Magic are going to perform. We know how the Pistons defense is going to operate, who is going to get open looks from deep, and that Cunningham is the engine that drives everything. But it doesn’t really function unless Duren is able to do what he’s done all year — use his strength, quickness, touch, and rim gravity to draw defenders in, create opportunities for others, and efficient offense for himself.
So far this postseason, it has been anything but. Duren averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and a monstrous 65% shooting from the floor during the regular season. In the postseason that has fallen to an average of nine points, eight rebounds, more turnovers than assists, and a paltry 41.7% shooting from the floor. In the regular season, he was a plus-6.9 points on the floor. In the playoffs, he’s lucky he’s only at dead even. 0.0.
The Pistons have reached a point where they can’t wait for their potential All-NBA center to finally deliver. If he struggles tonight, they will need to have a quicker trigger toward Isaiah Steawrt and factor in Paul Reed into the rotational plans. But ultimately, that might be enough to get past the Magic (a big maybe), but it’s not going to get this franchise anywhere significant.
You could argue that some of the fault in the first game rested on his teammates and his coach. Since then, however, it’s all on Duren. He needs to rediscover who he is. When he gets the ball now, he’s indecisive. When he makes a drive, the handle is loose, and the positioning is sloppy. He’s not owning the defensive glass. He’s rarely forcing defenders to avert their eyes from Cunningham.
For the Pistons to be successful, that can’t happen. That is why his teammates are talking him up and professing to be unconcerned. It’s all bull. They know how important he is, and that he is not delivering. They are concerned. So is Duren, for that matter. He has no illusions about his performance so far this series.
“He’s confident,” Cuningham said of Duren, per NBA.com. “These last three games haven’t been what he wants or what we might want for him. I and the whole team have no doubt he’s going to figure it out and he knows he’s going to figure it out. Excited for the next game for him to plant his foot in this series.”
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff remains confident his team will respond to the challenge ahead.
“It’s one game at a time, and that’s what playoff series are,” Bickerstaff said. “We come down here, we win on Monday, we take home-court advantage back. (Saturday’s) game, we’ll learn from it. But it’s over with and it gives us more opportunities, more film to watch, more time to prepare, to get ready for Monday.”
Monday has arrived. Has Duren?
Projected Lineups
Detroit Pistons (1-2)
Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Orlando Magic (2-1)
Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.
Question of the Game
Who could be a secret savior of this Pistons team to deliver Game 4 even if Duren once again no-shows?
