The Detroit Pistons have been a disappointment through the first three games of the playoffs. After being thoroughly outplayed by the No. 8 seed Orlando Magic thus far, the Pistons face an uphill battle to turn things around to avoid a massive upset.
The most disappointing player in this stretch has undoubtedly been Jalen Duren. The All-Star center has been so underwhelming in the series so far that he may be costing himself a ton of money ahead of his free agency.
Duren's Potential Extension Complicated by Disastrous Playoff Showing
In the regular season, Duren established himself as one of the league's best centers. He took big strides on both ends of the floor, but his high-volume, high-efficiency scoring was especially impressive. Even when Cade Cunningham missed time, Duren was able to create shots for himself and convert them at a high clip, keeping the Pistons afloat. He was dominant on the boards and in the paint, ultimately earning a well-deserved All-Star nod with the door remaining open to be an All-NBA selection.
After the regular season, Duren seemed headed towards a max extension with the Pistons. If he makes an All-NBA team, Duren is eligible for a five-year, $287 million deal with the Pistons, which is 30 percent of the salary cap. Even if he misses the cut, he can still sign a five-year, $239 million deal, which would leave his 2026-27 salary at $41.4 million.
Unfortunately for Duren, the big man's performance this postseason has been nowhere near deserving of that kind of investment.
In three appearances, Duren is averaging 9.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.7 turnovers in 30.7 minutes per game. He has made 41.7 percent of his field goals and converted at a 63.6 percent clip from the free-throw line. He has been very good defensively over the past two games, but he still found himself in foul trouble in Game 3 before ultimately fouling out.
Duren has been unable to exert his will over Wendell Carter Jr. so far in the series. Yes, Detroit's offensive ecosystem is partly to blame. Duren doesn't have much space to operate in, and the Magic have a ton of capable, physical defenders packing the paint. He isn't getting the ball in advantageous positions, but he still needs to be better.
There is just no excuse for rebounding as poorly as he has so far. His physicality and intensity have been nowhere near where they must be against a good Orlando team.
If Duren can't turn things around and the Pistons flame out in the first round, the front office has to ask itself some difficult questions. Can Detroit really build a championship-caliber team by paying Duren 25 or 30 percent of the salary cap? Do they want to hurt their financial flexibility moving forward by paying Duren around $45 million annually for the next several seasons?
If the front office decides that the answer is closer to a "no", then they need to play hardball with Duren this summer. If that's the case, the 22-year-old center will regret not doing more in the playoffs.
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