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I don't see a thread for this, so I thought a developmental thread for our youngsters would be a good place to share the copium and start delusions of grandeur over the smallest things.

I give you exhibit A. LORD HAVE MERCY!


If Duren ever got to the level of this being a legit weapon? Embiid is legit shocked after lol.

guldakot wrote:I don't see a thread for this, so I thought a developmental thread for our youngsters would be a good place to share the copium and start delusions of grandeur over the smallest things.

I give you exhibit A. LORD HAVE MERCY!

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If Duren ever got to the level of this being a legit weapon? Embiid is legit shocked after lol.

Would love to see some of that in actual games this year

Duren's problem is not on offense. He could add a bunch of post moves and it would do about zero for this team. What would make a massive difference in his future is if he works on being a plus defender and rim protector. That's the baseline we need from a starting center. Everything else is just extra.

guldakot wrote:I don't see a thread for this, so I thought a developmental thread for our youngsters would be a good place to share the copium and start delusions of grandeur over the smallest things.

I give you exhibit A. LORD HAVE MERCY!

Read on Twitter

If Duren ever got to the level of this being a legit weapon? Embiid is legit shocked after lol.

I don't see anything from this clip that's out of the ordinary from Duren.

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Maybe Bismack would be a great signing. More of a mentorship role

Billl wrote:Duren's problem is not on offense. He could add a bunch of post moves and it would do about zero for this team. What would make a massive difference in his future is if he works on being a plus defender and rim protector. That's the baseline we need from a starting center. Everything else is just extra.

Yeah thats really what matter with him

Can't be a franchise center without some defense

I have confidence he will become a better defender. He’s still young (20?) and he is one of, if not the, most athletic post players in the league. I still can’t believe some people have already given up on him and want to trade him.

Hopefully, we see Duren perfect this move.

theBigLip wrote:I have confidence he will become a better defender. He’s still young (20?) and he is one of, if not the, most athletic post players in the league. I still can’t believe some people have already given up on him and want to trade him.

This is legitimate, but, so is the other side.

The Pistons need a legitimate rim protector. Teams that do, win, and win a lot. Dallas/Boston/Minnesota/Knicks/Pacers/Bucks/Sixers/Cavs all have legit bigs, that roam the paint.

It changes offenses, and allows funneling of players to said rim protector. Without one, the entire defense breaks down repeatedly, when guys are inevitably blown by.

I don't care if Duren is hitting 40% from three, on 6 attempts. Still need a deterrent at the rim.

Its the reason I was happy that Clingan had fallen to 5th, and the reason I was(still)pissed that Holland is on the squad.

If Duren is truly roaming on defense this year, excellent. I dont expect it though.

guldakot wrote:I don't see a thread for this, so I thought a developmental thread for our youngsters would be a good place to share the copium and start delusions of grandeur over the smallest things..

Props to the OP for being on point in how to frame this discussion

zeebneeb wrote:

theBigLip wrote:I have confidence he will become a better defender. He’s still young (20?) and he is one of, if not the, most athletic post players in the league. I still can’t believe some people have already given up on him and want to trade him.

This is legitimate, but, so is the other side.

The Pistons need a legitimate rim protector. Teams that do, win, and win a lot. Dallas/Boston/Minnesota/Knicks/Pacers/Bucks/Sixers/Cavs all have legit bigs, that roam the paint.

It changes offenses, and allows funneling of players to said rim protector. Without one, the entire defense breaks down repeatedly, when guys are inevitably blown by.

I don't care if Duren is hitting 40% from three, on 6 attempts. Still need a deterrent at the rim.

Its the reason I was happy that Clingan had fallen to 5th, and the reason I was(still)pissed that Holland is on the squad.

If Duren is truly roaming on defense this year, excellent. I dont expect it though.

I agree we need rim protection. I think Duren will get there. In the meantime, I think we need to get a vet for a backup big, hopefully teach Duren a few things.

Invictus88 wrote:Oh. And I heard Cade Cunningham grew 4 inches over the summer....

Seriously think Duren has plateaued at 20?

I think Duran could make a bigger impact for us on the offensive end if he could hit the three at 35% 4-5 attempts a game, then just slowly becomes average to slightly above average defender. That might be more who he is, but man he’s 20, he will be a star even at this rate by 25 I think. He just going to get stronger, and it will all get easier for him with experience.

People who put a ceiling on a 20 year old Duren and think he can't ever become at least an adequate defender is somewhat incredulous. He's already shown he can improve aspects of his game - going from a 61% FT shooter as a rookie to 79% as a sophomore. And he admitted in an interview that his multiple ankle injuries last season affected how he was able to play defense and he knew he was better.

Just remember he is a solid 5-8 years from his prime and will continue to get better every year.

Besides his lack of rim protection what stood out to me was how he would get dominated consistently by any half way decent 7 footer. He is very bouncy but still is undersized for a center

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Billl wrote:Duren's problem is not on offense. He could add a bunch of post moves and it would do about zero for this team. What would make a massive difference in his future is if he works on being a plus defender and rim protector. That's the baseline we need from a starting center. Everything else is just extra.

Yep.

I already like Duren offensively. If he improves his post game it’s nice but what we really need is defensive improvement.

mattao313 wrote:Besides his lack of rim protection what stood out to me was how he would get dominated consistently by any half way decent 7 footer. He is very bouncy but still is undersized for a center

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He has essentially the same measurements as Dwight Howard. Not the same build yet, but he's young and that can also improve with time.

Mr Peanut wrote:People who put a ceiling on a 20 year old Duren and think he can't ever become at least an adequate defender is somewhat incredulous. He's already shown he can improve aspects of his game - going from a 61% FT shooter as a rookie to 79% as a sophomore. And he admitted in an interview that his multiple ankle injuries last season affected how he was able to play defense and he knew he was better.

Just remember he is a solid 5-8 years from his prime and will continue to get better every year.

100%. At some point last year his defensive metrics were just justly below average which was a big jump from the previous year (his rookie season). So the improvement was there at least early on last season. I think overall the losing streak took a lot out of everyone. This is also going to be his third season with three different defensive schemes and three different coaches.

I would expect by the end of his 4th season he'll be an average defender for a starting center, right around the 14th - 16th range in the league.

bstein14 wrote:

Mr Peanut wrote:People who put a ceiling on a 20 year old Duren and think he can't ever become at least an adequate defender is somewhat incredulous. He's already shown he can improve aspects of his game - going from a 61% FT shooter as a rookie to 79% as a sophomore. And he admitted in an interview that his multiple ankle injuries last season affected how he was able to play defense and he knew he was better.

Just remember he is a solid 5-8 years from his prime and will continue to get better every year.

100%. At some point last year his defensive metrics were just justly below average which was a big jump from the previous year (his rookie season). So the improvement was there at least early on last season. I think overall the losing streak took a lot out of everyone. This is also going to be his third season with three different defensive schemes and three different coaches.

I would expect by the end of his 4th season he'll be an average defender for a starting center, right around the 14th - 16th range in the league.

I reckon his ankle affected him throughout the season. He looked pretty good before his injury. It was a very small sample size, but he showed some growth

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