Jalen Duren’s new long-term deal has settled one major question in Detroit, but it has opened another: when will the Pistons big man actually get on the floor?
He sat out Detroit’s 109-107 preseason win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday, and while that was expected, the wait for his first preseason appearance is still very much on. J.B. Bickerstaff said the team wants Duren to get minutes before the regular season starts, but the plan comes with plenty of caution.
“The plan is for sure. it's just one of those things that will always be cautious of is how he's feeling,” Bickstaff told reporters.
“Going from a summer workout to an NBA game, regardless of its preseason games. I want to be aware of his body and work he’s putting in and making sure that we're safe and that he's feeling okay. Like, you know, the plan is definitely for him to play in the preseason.”
J.B. Bickerstaff on whether Jalen Duren will be available to play during the preseason:“The plan is, for sure.
It’s just one of those things that we’ll always be cautious of, is how he’s feeling. … The plan is definitely for him to play in the preseason.” pic.twitter.com/jQvE6XUHeO
That measured approach makes sense after the season Duren just put together. The 22-year-old broke out in a big way, putting up 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while making his first All-Star team and landing on the All-NBA Third Team.
His regular-season production pushed him into the conversation as one of the league’s most promising young centers and helped lift Detroit into one of the top teams.
The playoffs told a different story. Duren averaged 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in Detroit’s second-round loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and his numbers dropped sharply along the way.
That postseason stumble is part of the backdrop now that he has called himself a “Piston for life” after re-signing. It also puts the spotlight on what still has to come next.
Duren and Bickerstaff have both made it clear that offensive production alone won’t be enough. If Detroit is going to get the full value of that extension, Duren needs major growth on defense, especially as a rim protector.
He’ll also have to show he can keep producing when the game gets tighter, more physical and more intense in the playoffs. That next step may decide whether he becomes more than a rising star and grows into the kind of cornerstone who can anchor a championship contender.
For now, though, Pistons fans are left waiting. Bickerstaff’s cautious stance says Detroit is thinking long term, and with Duren’s future already locked in, there’s no need to push him before the games start to count.
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John Collins and others have pointed to how contagious that defensive edge can be when the group is locked in together. It is still preseason, of course, but the Pistons have already given a glimpse of the kind of team opponents tend to dislike: active, physical, and willing to turn effort into momentum without needing the usual starters to carry the load every night. [Read more 🡒]