Jalen Duren will miss Sunday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls to rest his injured ankle.
Why It Matters For the Detroit Pistons
Jalen Duren has been ruled out for Sunday’s upcoming matchup against the Chicago Bulls by the Detroit Pistons. The 19-year-old center did not finish Friday’s 114-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. His continuous left ankle injury limited him to 22 minutes with minimal production in the matchup.
Duren has been dealing with this injury since the beginning of November. He has missed two of the ten games played so far in the regular season. The Pistons have tried playing him through the pain but the healing of his injury has not improved over the last week.
It isn’t much of a coincidence that Detroit’s seven-game-losing streak started when Duren’s injury became an issue. The Pistons’ production relies heavily on the activity of their promising franchise center. Duren was averaging 18 points while grabbing 15.3 rebounds along with 2.6 blocks when he was healthy in the first three games of the season. His numbers have dipped down to 12.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks since the injury.
Injuries have played a significant role in Detroit’s 2-8 record this season. The Pistons have been without at least six players for the past couple of weeks due to illness and injury. Detroit is still looking for a victory in the month of November and waiting for some returning players to help with their current lack of depth.
The Pistons have not disclosed a timeline or how many games will be missed for Duren’s injury. Detroit will have to lean on the backup play of Marvin Bagley III and James Wiseman through his absence. The Pistons have also leaned on Isaiah Stewart to play minutes at center when Duren is not on the floor.
