If JB Bickerstaff did not manage to take the Cavaliers to the conference finals, he managed to make this team competitive, in particular by relying on defense. Over the last three seasons, Cleveland was indeed one of the best fortresses in the league – the most efficient even in 2021/22. He arrives in Detroit with the same ambition and, for that, he has a name on his lips: Jalen Duren.
At 2m08 and 113 kilos, with his muscles and athletic qualities, the Pistons' pivot has the perfect profile to make him a pillar of Detroit's defense, one of the worst in the league.
“I want to make him reach his potential, which I think is limitless.”, says the new coach. “He was in the gym last week and I had the chance to see him work up close. You see things you don't usually see from the outside. He can carry the ball, make good passes, and obviously get rebounds.”
A new player in a few years
Jalen Duren, who is only 20 years old, has already reached a milestone between his first and second seasons. We must continue like this, without going too fast. “We're going step by step. We're going to find one or two qualities that we want to develop. We'll do the same in two years, and in three years, we'll see a completely new player.”warns JB Bickerstaff.
The latter relied on Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in Cleveland to protect his basket, where Jalen Duren often found himself far from the circle. Which explains his low blocking average (0.8 per game). If he is to become the base of the defense, then his teammates must also be better, in efforts and rotations, to make his job easier and make him the last barrier, the one who corrects the small errors.
“The defensive system also counts. There may be players who are not great defenders individually but who can become great defenders collectively,” says the coach. “Teaching and the time you put into it are important, as is repeating it over and over again. We're going to spend time on it, trying to be clear.”
| Jalen Duren | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2022-23 | DET | 67 | 25 | 64.8 | 0.0 | 61.1 | 3.4 | 5.5 | 8.9 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 9.1 |
| 2023-24 | DET | 61 | 29 | 61.9 | 0.0 | 79.0 | 3.2 | 8.5 | 11.6 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 13.8 |
| Total | 128 | 27 | 63.1 | 0.0 | 70.7 | 3.3 | 6.9 | 10.2 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 11.4 | |
How to read the stats? GM = Games Played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots Made / Shots Attempted; 3pts = 3-pointers / 3-pointers Attempted; LF = Free Throws Made / Free Throws Attempted; Off = Offensive Rebound; Def = Defensive Rebound; Tot = Total Rebounds; Pd = Assists; Fte: Personal Fouls; Int = Steals; Bp = Loose Balls; Ct: Blocks; Pts = Points.
