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Jalen Duren Rumors
Omari Sankofa II: Asked Trajan Langdon about Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren becoming extension-eligible this offseason: "That’s TBD right now. I’m sure talks will be had in the summer, but we have a long time to make that decision."
Omari Sankofa II: Trajan Langdon said there's still more to learn about the roster, when asked if it's time for a big swing. Mentioned Ausar Thompson not having an offseason while dealing with blood clots, Jalen Duren improving after the first 25 games, players getting healthy. "If those guys take steps, we get better."
For much of the regular season, he shied away from contact while attacking the rim, as a defender and as a rebounder. But during six games against the upstart Pistons, who thrive in a wrestling match, Bridges fought back. He closed out on shooters with more verve, stayed in front of drivers and pushed up against dribblers when picks came his way, not as impacted by giant screeners, such as Pistons mammoth Jalen Duren. “I don’t know if people thought I stopped playing (defense),” Bridges said in a conversation with The Athletic. “I know I struggled a little bit this year, but (I’m) just getting comfortable.”
Omari Sankofa II: JB on Duren: "The ball being in his hands in the middle of the floor making decisions is really good for us. When they put two guys on Cade, you have to have a trigger that can create. I think JD did a great job of making those reads."
For the most part, the Knicks have been able to minimize Jalen Brunson’s weaknesses on defense by having him camp out Detroit’s least dynamic players. So far, that’s meant matching up with Tim Hardaway Jr. and, to a lesser extent, Malik Beasley. But at the end of Game 5, Brunson rolled his ankle. I’ll be watching Game 6 to see if Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff targets Brunson by ramping up Hardaway’s role as a screener or by replacing him with someone who will make Brunson move his feet on defense. A lineup of Cade Cunningham, Dennis Schroder, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren lacks shooting, but it would force Brunson to either guard the ball (Schroder) or box out someone much bigger than him (Thompson). Either way, it could work in Detroit’s favor.
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From the first possession of this series, veteran forward Tobias Harris has guarded Towns. A center, often Jalen Duren, takes Hart. And during these fights with the Pistons, what was once a blemish that only basketball geeks could brag about noticing has become obvious to anyone who could read Towns’ shot total during Game 2’s fourth quarter. “He’s getting touches. He’s making the right play,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “If he’s getting double-teamed, I don’t want him to shoot the ball over three people.”
Mikal Bridges works on this shot all the time. So frequently, it felt good when it left his hands. Facing a three-point deficit with just seconds left in the fourth quarter of Game 2 against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, Jalen Brunson crossed-over Detroit’s Dennis Schroder and got to the paint, where Pistons center Jalen Duren shifted to protect the rim. As Duren cut-off Brunson’s lane, Bridges created one of his own: His man, Malik Beasley, turned his head towards the paint, and Bridges darted to the top of the key. An escape hatch for Brunson, then trapped in no man’s land. Brunson made the read. Bridges caught the ball in rhythm. Beasley was too far behind to impact the shot. “It was straight,” said Bridges, at his locker, discussing the look he got at the rim. “I thought it was cash, but [it was] short.”
It will be the first playoff experience for everyone else in J.B. Bickerstaff’s normal rotation – Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland II, Isaiah Stewart and Simone Fontecchio. The Pistons privately talked about getting to the playoffs long before anyone thought it possible and they’ve adopted a one-day-at-a-time focus with the long-term goal of having it pay off in a playoff berth. But Bickerstaff knows enough about playoff basketball to know that no matter how long and hard his young players have thought about the experience, they won’t truly appreciate the essence until wading into the waters. “It’s a completely different basketball game,” he said. “And until you’re in it, it’s hard to understand it. We’ve been through this before. At some point in time, we were all kids and didn’t listen to our parents, either, and didn’t figure it out until we experienced it on our own. That’s what the playoffs are. We can tell guys what to expect, but until we experience it you don’t understand just how different it is from an intensity standpoint, from the execution of schemes, the importance of possession-by-possession basketball.”
Jalen Duren on people still doubting Cade Cunningham as All-NBA: If you don't know that by now...you're not watching basketball
Omari Sankofa II: Duren on if Cade should be All-NBA: "We’re still trying to make a case for that? Man. If you don’t know that by now, not only are you not watching us, you’re not watching basketball. He’s been the best guard in the NBA all year, if you ask me. Watch the games, man."
Eric Woodyard: I asked #Pistons C Jalen Duren about Shaq calling them “boring.” Duren said he’s big on earning the league's respect and won’t shy away from expectations. “When it’s time, I just want both the clips back-to-back of when he realizes we’re here and when he act like he didn’t know.”
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“When I watched the games, you constantly see they do what they do every night to the best of their ability, and that’s something that we needed,” Duren said. “We needed that bad, being a young team, we just needed consistent vets, and they don’t only perform on the court but off the court. “Tobias is one guy who’s constantly teaching about all different things — life, financial stuff. Timmy, Malik (Beasley), they’ve very vocal. They’re not guys who are to themselves. They’re part of the group, they’re bringing guys up, they’re constantly competing. They’ve been huge for us.”
Omari Sankofa II: FINAL: Pistons 115, Nets 94. They opened the 4th with a 23-7 run to close it out and have won nine of 10. 34-27 overall. Duren: 18 points, 11 rebounds, six blocks (career-high), two steals, two assists
Omari Sankofa II: Cade on Duren: "He’s been one of the best bigs in the league, my favorite big in the league. He’s just going to keep getting better and better. I think there’s still going to be growth from him this season we haven’t seen."
Cade Cunningham helps Pistons extend win streak to seven games
Omari Sankofa II: FINAL: Pistons 106, Clippers 97. Pistons (32-26) have won seven-straight for the first time since 2014-15 and are 21-9 overall since Dec. 21. Cunningham: 32 pts, 9 rebs, 7 assts Harris: 20 pts Duren: 12 pts, 18 rebs
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