Pistons center Jalen Duren didn’t come to a rookie scale extension agreement with the front office prior to last month’s deadline, which means he’ll be a restricted free agent after the season. Duren has pumped up his value in the early going, including a career high 33-point outing in Mexico City on Saturday against Dallas.
He shot 13-of-16 from the field and added 10 rebounds, two assists and a block vs. the Mavericks and is now averaging 17.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest.
“I mean, he’s such a beast. He makes me look good,” Cade Cunningham said of Duren, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “He makes my job easy.”
“Domination,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff added. “He was phenomenal at putting pressure on the rim. He ran the floor; he scored in a bunch of different ways. (He was) working the offensive boards. He dominated the interior.”
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- Caris LeVert is still trying to get into a groove after missing most of the preseason due to a hamstring injury. LeVert, who signed a two-year contract as a free agent during the summer, has only averaged 5.7 points in 18.3 minutes while appearing in three of the team’s six games. However, Bickerstaff is enthusiastic about the veteran’s potential impact going forward. “He takes a lot of pressure off me. It’s more about the type of person Caris is,” the coach said, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “Because he’s always been so adaptable, it makes it easier on me to kind of put him in a place and he can fit any place we decide to put him and he’s the type of guy who doesn’t take away from others’ growth and development. He just wants to compete and play with his teammates.”
- In a post on ThePlayersTribune.com, Ausar Thompson discusses his first two seasons in the league. Blood clotting issues marred his rookie season and his offseason routine last summer but he was able to come into this season without any restrictions. “It was my first full healthy offseason, so I put in a lot of work this summer. I felt a lot more freedom,” he wrote. “I could go harder. And I got to sharpen my mentality, just thinking about how I want to feel after games. Basically, I always want to feel like I gave it my all. Like I didn’t hold anything back and was aggressive every chance I got. I have even more drive as a player, now. I want to take it further.”
- Rim protection has been a key to the Pistons’ 4-2 start entering Monday’s contest at Memphis. They lead the NBA with 7.0 blocks per game and Isaiah Stewart is tied for fourth in the league with 12 blocks. Stewart is sixth in the NBA with 47 contested two-point shot attempts and second with opponents shooting just 41.7% at the rim against him, according to the team’s PR staff.
Watched a couple Pistons games this season already and they do look really promising.
Cade is an all nba level player, Thompson is starting to develop his offensive game and Duren has been a beast. Tobias just seems like a very reliable option for offence and Stewart has been a beast off the bench too.
I think they really need a star second option for Cade. Tobias has been alright but that’s not a long term piece and he’s not that calibre of player either. Thompson won’t ever be that 25 points per game guy hes a great two way 15-20 guy. Ivey I’m not sold on and Holland has looked good on defence and ay the rim but still has some holes to his game.
If this team had a 25 points per per game like maybe Lauri or Jalen Green or something like that it would be really exciting. I just don’t see Ivey being that guy. Maybe they don’t need to make a trade and can get him in FA with Tobias coming off the books but that’s risky considering you haven’t paid Duren yet.
Silvery promising signs in Detroit but now right here is where you either go big and make it or don’t do anything and just look back on and think what could’ve been
Between Duren, Thompson, Holland, Ivey, Stewart there’s enough internal upside to be optimistic about that team.
Particularly Thompson and Holland.
Ausar, just like his brother Amen, has that Jimmy Butler-like quality to always play with his eyes up, with incredible vision, with that understanding of what is going to happen on the floor before it happens, on both ends. I think that Butler-level player is a realistic outcome for both twins. People made a big deal out of Amen handling the ball for Houston, but Ausar actually does it too, in stretches, when Cade is not on the court. He’s doing pretty well.
Holland was seen as the best prospect in his year before he went to Ignite, and he has shown why in spots. Some games last season, his performances over the summer, the season opener in Chicago. Those were performances of a possible star in the making, and not just some guy who stands in the corner and happens to knock down his 3s and have a nice scoring game. He’s still playing like a rookie, giving away cheap fouls, wanting to impress and as a result doesn’t go for simple plays etc. But he’s good.
Duren has indeed been a beast. And Stewart has surprised me, I didn’t know he could be a no-nonsense pro with actual substance to his game. And he can shoot 3s?
People wanted to proclaim Tobias Harris “the worst contract in the league” so bad last year, but he has been just what they needed.
Yeah Butler is a good comparison for them. Ausar is growing in confidence on offence driving at the rim and finishing around bigs. As I said I don’t think they’ll be massive scorers but they can certainly get buckets.
As for Holland, he really surprised me with his defence on the perimeter, he’s very mobile and active and ofcoirse loves to then get out in transition. I just think he could hit the weight room more to bulk up and be better in the paint and then offensively, really needs to develop the jumper and IQ to make the right play not the highlight play more but there is potential for sure.
Stewart I always knew there was a 3 ball from his high school/college days, the doubt for me more came from him getting techs and flagorants for unnecessary roughness. If he doesn’t do the dumb stuff he will have a good career.
But I still think instead of Ivey/Tobias/Levert if they just had another really nice co star for Cade they’d be awesome. Have Thompson at the 2, Ron the 3 and have a 4 like Lauri or something. Duncan or some kinda shooter off the bench in smaller line ups for spacing and just continue they way they are really
Will be interesting to see when Ivey returns
Sign Wiseman