During the team’s four-game preseason slate, the Detroit Pistons had an array of positives and negatives develop as the squad went .500 in exhibition play. Atop that list, Pistons star Cade Cunningham looked peerless in his three performances, but one of his top running mates, guard Jaden Ivey, underwent knee surgery and will be unavailable for around a month, so the preseason has produced mixed results for Detroit.

In the Pistons final preseason contest, a 21-point win over the Washington Wizards at home, the team showed familiar remnants of the playoff-contending group that emerged last year. Center Jalen Duren led the team with a 20-point effort, and the Pistons big man grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots in the process, and his presence was key to Detroit’s playoff push a year ago.

During Duren’s big game, the fourth-year Memphis product got up and down the floor well, capping off a couple fast breaks with thunderous dunks that helped keep momentum in Detroit’s direction. In particular, Cunningham threw Duren an alley-oop in the first half that capped off the transition play with a powerful slam. 

“I feel good,” Duren told Hunter Patterson of The Athletic after practice on Wednesday. “I work on my game every day, try to get better and become a better player. Coaches, teammates trust me and they see me working on my game, so just keep expanding, keep doing whatever I can to help the team move forward.”

Without Ivey in the lineup, Duren will likely be asked to contribute more on the offensive end to help the team mitigate the explosive shooting guard’s absence. But the 6-10 big man has worked on expanding his game throughout summer and adding an outside shot to his arsenal– that’s one area Pistons assistant coach Vitaly Potapenko has been able to help with in particular.

“Big V has been huge, man,” Duren said. “He’s been great to me. I think talking to him, watching film with him, it’s been great. He gives me the good and the bad. He tells me what I could do better and shows me a couple different techniques. I think he’s been great for the bigs altogether, and I hope we just continue to build with him.”

Daniss Jenkins Has Major Opportunity In Jaden Ivey’s Absence Daniss Jenkins has averaged 11.5 points and four rebounds in the preseason.

Last year, Duren shot over 69.2% from the field, which is a remarkably consistent mark for the powerful center. If Duren can shoot anywhere near that mark once again this season as he adds in a more dynamic profile to his game, the Pistons will have more than enough offensive firepower to remain competitive without Ivey in the lineup. 

Right now, Duren is about to find out whether the Pistons will exercise the option to extend his rookie contract. The deadline for that decision is on Monday, Oct. 20. 

Shortly after that, the Pistons will open up the regular season against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, Oct. 22. 

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