The Detroit Pistons had a very public fight with Jalen Duren over his contract extension. He wanted a true max deal, while Detroit wanted him to sign something lower. Duren is coming off the best season of his career and wanted to be paid as such.
Duren refused to sign anything until the final day he could, ultimately inking a five-year deal worth $200 million. It’s less than the max, but the Pistons still gave him a lot of money. Now, Duren is named as the player with the most to prove heading into the season.
Pistons’ Jalen Duren Named as Player With the Most to Prove After Offseason Standoff
According to Jack Hughes of Bleacher Report, Duren has more to prove than any other NBA player this year. He backs his claim up by citing the playoff struggles that Duren endured last season.
“Anyone who watched Duren flop in the playoffs is right to doubt him, and his own team clearly didn’t believe what he did during the regular season was a sign of things to come. After all this, the Pistons are still invested in Duren as if he’s the second-best player on a contender. All he has to do to justify that status is dispel concerns that he won’t work hard and can’t produce in the playoffs,” Hughes writes.
There was a report from Sam Amick of The Athletic that Duren had a weight clause put into one of the early editions of his contract. That was ultimately dropped. Still, Detroit clearly does not fully believe in Duren’s ability to be a true superstar.
Duren has a shot to prove the team wrong this season, despite signing the massive deal. Of course, that won’t happen until the postseason. Duren was named Third-team All-NBA last season, but cratered when the lights got the brightest.
The Pistons Need Jalen Duren to Play His Best to Contend in the East
Last year, Detroit was a surprise number-one seed in the Eastern Conference. A big reason they were able to achieve that was the play of Duren. He finished the regular season averaging 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. He also shot 65 percent from the field.
That all changed in the postseason. Once the playoffs began, Duren’s numbers had a drastic drop-off. In two playoff series, he averaged just 10.2 points and 8.2 rebounds on 51.4 percent shooting. It was a startling drop from someone that the Pistons counted on as their second-best player.
Last season, Detroit had its best season in quite a while. Now, they are looking to take an even bigger leap. Postseason success is what Duren will be measured on, and that is why Duren has so much to prove. What he does in the regular season won’t matter as much.
Cade Cunningham wanted Duren to stay in Detroit. Now, Duren has to reward that faith from the team’s best player.
Pistons’ Jalen Duren Named as Player With the Most to Prove