Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren: ‘We Were Not Locked In’ Against Miami Heat

Three games ago, the Detroit Pistons were on the road in San Antonio looking to wash away a tough four-point loss to the Cleveland Cavs from their last matchup. Now, the Spurs are a difficult opponent to schedule a get-right game against, and the Pistons certainly did not fix any issues in what was a 121-106 loss. 

Instead, the Pistons actually gained a significant problem when third-year forward Ausar Thompson sprained his ankle two minutes into the game against the Spurs. From that point on, Detroit has struggled to replace Thompson’s defense at the point of attack, and the team has fallen on hard times with an active four-game losing streak, their longest of the 2025-26 campaign. 

While pointing towards Thompson’s absence would be an easy road for the Pistons to travel when explaining their recent skid, fourth-year center Jalen Duren opted to explain the team’s uncharacteristic slide differently. 

"I just think that we were not locked in, including myself,” Duren told Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News. “We just have to be better and get back to how we were defending early in the season, getting back to being that top-three defense."

In the Pistons’ 121-110 loss to the Miami Heat last night, Duren posted a respectable 24-point night on 10-for-12 shooting, but JD was part of a Detroit squad that was outworked on the glass 49-40. Duren only grabbed five rebounds, and the Pistons did not showcase their signature effort and defensive tenacity without Thompson in the lineup against the Heat. 

From an advanced metrics standpoint, Thompson is one of the most prolific stock threats in the NBA, and the dynamic two-way forward usually takes on the brunt of the backcourt responsibility by guarding the ball handler at the point of attack. So, Thompson assumes an important duty each game and does so in a turnover-causing fashion, which helps spark the Pistons’ transition offense. 

The graphic below illustrates just how impactful Thompson is as a ball hawk with his steals per 100 possessions according to @Dynatyze and @TipOffBall on X. 

On top of that smothering on-ball defense, Thompson has the unique ability to withstand defensive switching with any position on the court thanks to his agility, acceleration, vision and basketball IQ, all of which the Pistons have missed over the past three games. 

So, Ausar’s value to Detroit has become crystal clear over the past week if it wasn’t already. Few players in the league can provide even a comparable level of impact on defense from the wing, and Thompson has become a crucial component to the turnover-heavy, transition-friendly philosophy that the Pistons have established in the Motor City. 

Next up, the Pistons have another road game in Brooklyn on the docket with a 7:30 pm tip-off scheduled against the Nets on Tuesday, March 10. 

For more information on the latest Detroit Pistons team or player news, follow @EricJRutter on X for continued basketball coverage. Also be sure to look up Roundtable - Michigan Men Media on Facebook for continued social media coverage of all the sporting teams in the Mitten.