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Pistons have a Jalen Duren problem in playoffs
TL;DR
Jalen Duren, a promising player for the Detroit Pistons, has struggled significantly in the playoffs, raising concerns about his performance. Analysts are questioning his viability on the court during crucial games.
Key points
- Jalen Duren struggled in the playoffs
- Concerns about his performance for the Pistons
- Analysts have criticized his viability on the court
Jalen DurenDetroit Pistons
Pistons have a Jalen Duren problem in playoffs originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jalen Duren looked like one of the NBA's rising stars during the regular season.
In the playoffs, he's been on the verge of being unplayable for the Detroit Pistons.
This is how analyst Carson Breber summed it up on X, and it's really rough:
"Jalen Duren averaged 19.5 PPG this regular season. He's scored more than 12 points ONCE in 11 playoff games, when he dropped 15. Duren led the NBA this regular season with 68.8% TS. That has dropped to 54.4% in the playoffs. This is one of the biggest playoff drops we've seen."
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Yes, some players struggle to replicate their level of regular season play in the postseason, but by this much? And in the first and second rounds, not deeper into the playoffs?
Duren had to match up mostly with Wendell Carter Jr. in the first round as the Pistons took on the Orlando Magic. Detroit was off its game for most of that series as a whole, so maybe Duren was only a part of that.
Against the Cleveland Cavaliers, though, many Pistons seem to have found their strides. Just not Duren.
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It's not the easiest matchup in the world. The Cavs have great frontcourt length with both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley -- both of whom can guard Duren, or who can be strong help-side defenders when they share the floor with one another.
Duren is stronger and more muscular than both, so there should be moments when that wins out, but so far those have been few and far between.
The Pistons have mostly stopped running actions that look for Duren and have just relied on their perimeter guys to do the damage, but at some point in this postseason, their chances of winning a game are going to come down to their center who was so good during the regular season. And in that moment, Duren will have to translate that level into the playoffs, or the Pistons will be in trouble.
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Q&A
Why is Jalen Duren struggling in the playoffs?
Jalen Duren has faced challenges that have made him nearly unplayable during the playoffs, leading to concerns about his performance.
What did analysts say about Jalen Duren's playoff performance?
Analyst Carson Breber described Duren's playoff performance as rough, indicating significant issues affecting his play.
How has Jalen Duren's regular season performance compared to the playoffs?
During the regular season, Jalen Duren was seen as one of the NBA's rising stars, but his playoff performance has sharply contrasted with that success.