Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren was on the wrong end of a poster dunk by Orlando Magic backup forward Jamal Cain. Duren was the last line of defense when Cain, running full speed after evading Cade Cunningham, went up for a tomahawk dunk over the hapless big man.
One fan reacted to the viral play:
“This whole series has been a Jalen Duren humiliation ritual.”
Another fan added:
“Bah GAWD Jamal Kane tore him in half!!!”
One more fan continued:
“The electric slide on his a** made it 10x worse.”
Another fan commented:
“Jamal Cain just updated Duren’s career highlight, unfortunately.”
One fan tweeted:
“This is the true definition of a poster.”
Duren made his first All-Star selection by anchoring the Pistons’ physical and stifling defense in the regular season. The 6-foot-10 center averaged a career-high 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game before the playoffs.
Against the Magic in the postseason, Duren has not been the same player. He is averaging 9.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.3 apg and 1.8 bpg. After 41 double-doubles in the regular season, he has not had one in the playoffs.
More worryingly, Jalen Duren has been outplayed by Magic center Wendell Carter Jr., who is averaging 11.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 3.0 apg and 1.5 bpg. In Game 3, Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff resorted to having Paul Reed put a body on Carter as Duren and Isaiah Stewart couldn’t handle him. Carter finished the game with 14 points and 17 rebounds, while Duren ended with eight points and nine rebounds.
Cade Cunningham Badly Needs Jalen Duren To Return to All-Star Form
Cade Cunningham has been valiantly carrying the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs with very little support from teammates. The All-Star guard is averaging 29.5 ppg, 7.5 apg and 6.3 apg. He is making 42.4% of his shots, but only 28.6% from behind the arc.
Jalen Duren’s struggles on offense have allowed the Magic to collapse their defense on Cunningham. With Duren’s efficiency dropping to 46.9% from 65% in the regular season, Orlando’s defense has been more aggressive on the explosive scorer.
Cunningham continues to put up points despite Orlando’s attention on him, but he desperately needs Duren to do his part on offense. ESPN reported on Monday that J.B. Bickerstaff “sat with Duren for an extended time” before Game 4, but the talk has not seemingly mattered. Duren continues to underwhelm, which is perhaps the biggest reason the Pistons will return to Detroit trailing 1-3 in the series.
The Pistons’ season could end on Wednesday unless Jalen Duren returns to his All-Star form.
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