Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, now an All-Star, is in the midst of a breakout season in Motown
In order for the Detroit Pistons to make such a tangible jump after their first round playoff exit last season to now standing as the first place team in the Eastern Conference, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad needed to play with a bit more edge.
Though Pistons center Jalen Duren averaged a double-double in the 2024-25 season with 11.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, Bickerstaff knew that his big man had more to give, but part of that challenge was getting JD on board with the program.
“First of all, he’s an awesome dude and he’s an unbelievable teammate,” Bickerstaff said on the Road Trippin Show earlier today. “That’s part of what we needed him to outgrow because we needed him to be more aggressive. He just wanted like, this is what you need me to do, I’m just going to do this. So, the conversation we had before last summer was it’s time for you to break free of that. You being offensive-minded and attack-minded, that’s only going to make the team better. “
Once Bickerstaff had spent a full season working closely with the then-21-year old, it became clear that Duren possessed all the tools to blossom into the All-Star center that he is today. All JD needed was the green light to be more assertive.
“So this summer he worked on his one-on-one game,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s got the skill set. He’s got the touch. It’s only made him a better player, and it’s made the team better. That’s where he bought into doing it was like okay, the team needs me to do this. I’m going to go out there and get it done.”
With the full backing of the Detroit coaching staff behind him, Duren has turned in the most productive campaign of his four-year career so far with 17.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Of course, Duren has the luxury of working off of All-Pro point guard Cade Cunningham to help create open looks in the post or lob opportunities above the rim, and the two have combined for the fourth-most assist combinations in the NBA this season.
“He picked it up easy, but here’s how we simplified it and here’s what’s awesome about it: I told him, I said ‘listen, one per quarter. You have to create one shot on your own per quarter. If you do that, you’re going to average close to 20 points a game. You’re going to have huge nights,’ and it was just easy for him.”
Like the seasoned coach that he is, Bickerstaff found a clear, concise way to streamline Duren’s thought process while on the court. No matter how the offense is functioning, if JD can generate a basket on his own once per quarter, then the Pistons will have a dangerous secondary scoring threat down low.
According to Bickerstaff, Duren is actually one of the easier players that he’s had the privilege of working with during his 20-plus years in the NBA, and the Pistons’ head coach attributes that to the maturity level that JD brings to the training facility each and every day.
“JD is one of the most self-aware people I’ve ever been around,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s unbelievable being able to coach him because he can just look in the mirror and he’s honest with himself and he’s honest with you. That’s why he takes that feedback and he can make adjustments so quickly because he’s not just stuck in his head like oh I’m this, I know I’m that, I’m that, whatever. He listens. He’s self-aware, and he takes it and adjusts quickly, and that’s why he’s been able to take such a huge step because he can look in the mirror.”
Since Duren has shown his coach that he’s willing to not just accept criticism but apply constructive solutions to help correct the problem, JD has developed into one of the Pistons’ key offensive assets on the court this season. Working with Cunningham in the pick and roll, Duren is a lob threat every time he peels to the hoop, and that’s become one of the toughest plays to stop in the East this year.
However, the Pistons will have to focus on other areas in their return to the court on Thursday, Feb. 19 against the New York Knicks since Duren will be serving the final game of his suspension.
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