The Detroit Pistons' Jalen Duren problem isn't going anywhere. As the Cavaliers tied the second-round series at 2-2, the Pistons have significantly more questions to answer than they did before the series moved to Cleveland. The biggest question of them all is: what the hell is going on with Duren?
Duren had another stinker of a game on Monday night. He followed his 11-point, four-rebound outing in Game 3 with an even worse eight-point, two-rebound, four-turnover performance in Game 4. In 27 minutes of action, the 22-year-old center didn't attempt a single free throw and finished the game with five fouls. The Pistons were -12 in his minutes.
While the All-Star big man had a few moments on both ends of the floor, including protecting the rim and beating Jarrett Allen one-on-one for an emphatic dunk, he had many more head-scratching plays.
In 56 minutes of action in Games 3 and 4, Duren had a total of six rebounds. For a player with his physical and athletic tools, that is simply unacceptable. His iso game is non-existent, he is getting pushed out of his spots, and is not getting into good positions offensively.
Bickerstaff's decision to go with Jalen Duren over Paul Reed continues to hurt the Pistons
The most frustrating part of it all is that the Pistons have a center who has been doing these in the past two games. Paul Reed was a bright spot once again in Game 4. When he entered the game in the third quarter, he helped slow down the Cleveland tide while scoring 13 points on 6/6 shooting from the field. For the game, Reed had 15 points, four rebounds, and two assists in 14 minutes, and the Pistons were -3 in those minutes.
Yet, head coach JB Bickerstaff still went back to Duren in the fourth quarter. Despite playing much better than Duren in both of the games in Cleveland, Reed played a total of 24 minutes, less than half the minutes Duren played. Detroit was +8 in these minutes as opposed to -26 when Duren is on the court.
This isn't to say that the Pistons would have won the game if Reed played more. The Pistons had other issues, couldn't get the calls they were looking for, and Donovan Mitchell was incredible. Yet, Bickerstaff didn't give his team the best chance to win the game because of his insistence on playing Duren.
After the game, Bickerstaff was asked about this decision by Pistons insider Omari Sankofa II. He said that he wanted to give Duren a chance to get back out there and "do the things we know he is capable of" before adding, "you don't just give up on guys when they are having a hard time."
While this is an admirable approach, this is no longer the regular season. It is the second round of the NBA Playoffs, and Duren has been consistently struggling. The Pistons can't afford to punt playoff games, waiting to see if Duren can bounce back. Whether there will be more changes in this front in Game 5 will be fascinating to watch, but the clock to turn things around is ticking for both Duren and Bickerstaff.
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