During a tumultuous playoff run and a prolonged offseason contract negotiation, Detroit Pistons fans were ready to say goodbye to Jalen Duren. Well, Duren has been out for six of eight games, and it turns out that Duren is the most indispensable member of the Pistons aside from Cade Cunningham.
A hamstring strain has knocked Duren out for six straight and counting, and boy, do you feel that every moment of every Pistons game.
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Pundits and fans alike had easy diagnoses for what ailed the 60-win team during a disappointing second-round exit last season. Detroit needed a second scorer and much more perimeter shooting to succeed in the postseason. Its second-best player, the All-NBA big man Duren, couldn't effectively operate in a congested, constipated offense when opponents had so much extra time to prepare their defense. That had a trickle-down effect on Cade Cunningham and on offensively limited players the Pistons relied on, like Ausar Thompson, Javonte Green, and Ron Holland.
This offseason, the Pistons seemingly tried and failed to add their second scorer (a planned run at Austin Reaves fizzled, and trade interest in players such as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant went nowhere). But they certainly addressed the team's lack of perimeter punch. Detroit added guys such as Isaiah Joe, John Collins, and Taurean Prince. They re-signed midseason acquisition Kevin Huerter. They reformulated their offensive game plan to create more movement, space, and offensive responsibility among their non-Cade players. So far this season, the perimeter offense has hummed. Detroit is a top-10 team in 3-point shooting and almost middle of the pack in attempts despite Isaiah Joe missing most of the season to injury.
Detroit is 6-2, losing to the New York Knicks and on Wednesday night to the East-leading Philadelphia 76ers. Calls after both games from fans and casual watchers immediately turn to the team's lack of that second star as the biggest issue. While that still might be a deal-breaker in the players, I would argue that the actual biggest issue in the season's first eight games is Detroit's collapse in its former ability to absolutely own the paint.
In other words, it's not the lack of a Kyrie or a Durant or a Devin Booker. It's the lack of Duren.
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Last season, Detroit led the NBA in points in the paint, mostly behind Duren's elite rim gravity and chemistry with Cade Cunningham and Detroit's other ball handlers. Last season, the Pistons led the NBA with 57.9 points in the paint and were fourth in opponents' paint scoring. They had a scoring differential inside of 14.2 points per game. This season, Detroit ranks just 22nd in the paint at 44.8, down 13.1 points per game.
Rim gravity, it turns out, is just as important as perimeter shooting in creating the space needed to run a successful offense.
Paul Reed is a dynamic scorer inside, and he has some pop to his game. But he isn't a rim runner like Duren. You give it to him on the block, and you let him work his magic. John Collins is opportunistic in transition, but those opportunities are dried up when he is the only big on the floor applying rim pressure, usually trying to duck in from the corners.
Ausar has the ball in his hands more, and it is working to create opportunities from others on the perimeter, but it is taking away a lot of those dunker-spot opportunities and back cuts that Thompson feasted on last season.
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The lack of inside pressure is manifesting in other ways. Detroit has gone from a top-5 team in second-chance points to 22nd. They are 28th in offensive rebounding. Last season, they were third.
This team needs Jalen Duren back ASAP. And I think fans need to start reckoning with how crucial he is for this team to succeed.
