Duren or Thompson: Detroit’s Second-Best Player?

Jalen Duren or Ausar Thompson?

Amid the contract standoff between the Detroit Pistons and restricted free agent Jalen Duren, a recent report has emerged that provides further challenges for negotiations. According to the Hoops Collective Podcast, ESPN Senior Writer Vinnie Goodwill commented on the Pistons' current situation, saying that he believes that the Pistons view Defensive Player of the Year finalist Ausar Thompson as the team's second-best player, and not Duren, who’s fresh off of an All-NBA 3rd Team nod.

While nobody in the organization has addressed this take, fans and media alike are debating whether Thompson or Duren is the second-best player, and who the team should focus on building around. Should the Pistons build around the All-NBA Center in Duren or the Defensive Savant Wing in Thompson?

The Argument for Duren:

Jalen Duren’s claim as the second-best player on the team is quite simple. Throughout the regular season, he was the second-leading scorer on a 60-win team. The 22-year-old center averaged almost 20 points and 10 rebounds per game in the regular season, made his first NBA All-Star game, and was Cade Cunningham’s go-to pick-and-roll threat. While Cunningham was without question the team’s best player, it was Duren’s elevated play on offense that affected the Pistons win column. 

Duren also proved that without Cunningham, he can still be effective. According to StatMuse, in 13 games without Cunningham, Duren averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds, which puts him as one of the top three scorers among centers in the NBA. Along with his defense, screen setting, and athleticism, Duren is already one of the league’s most productive players, and did so at 22. Duren is productive, and did so while being relatively raw. If he’s this good already, the sky is the limit.

The Argument Against Duren:

While most fans would point at Duren’s major drop-off in the playoffs as why he isn’t second best, it’s obtuse, and it’s a symptom of the real issue. Duren can’t create his own shot. A center’s role in a league offense is mainly to screen, roll, and finish plays, all of which Duren can do, but second-best players typically have a more diverse skill set. This doesn’t mean the skill can’t be developed; it also doesn’t mean that he needs to be on the level of Joel Embiid, but predictability was a major reason for his decline in the postseason.

Another reason against him being second-best is that, while he’s playing high-level basketball, he doesn’t have one or two elite traits to fall back on. He’s a good scorer, but doesn’t have a go to move or spot that can get him a bucket at will. His rebounding usually comes from athletic ability, but more experienced centers rely on boxing out and positioning. While a good defender, he’s not a game changer. These lacking traits will show up against more experienced teams, and currently hold him back from being the number two on the Pistons.

The Argument for Thompson:

Without hyperbole, Ausar Thompson is the best defensive wing in the NBA. Full stop. The sheer presence Thompson has on defense scares opposing players and coaches alike. The best way to describe him is like a cornerback in football. Good cornerbacks can shut down players, but great ones shut down entire sections of the field. That’s what Ausar is. On ball, players can’t get past him. Passing lanes are a virtual no-fly zone. The Cleveland Cavaliers head coach said his strategy in the playoffs was to keep the ball away from Ausar. He’s THAT good.

Thompson also has shown the ability to be a reliable ball handler. While not the best shooter (we’ll get to that later), he is a good secondary ball handler who has created open looks for teammates and makes proper reads. As he grows more comfortable on offense and develops his offensive capabilities, he has every right to call himself the second-best player on the team.

The Argument Against Thompson:

To call his shooting struggles “not the best” is an understatement. As great as Thompson is on defense, he’s shown to be a liability when shooting the basketball. It’s not as bad as many claim, but it’s enough to stop him from taking wide-open looks. He’s concerned enough to take himself out of the game, and that leaves the Pistons in many situations where it’s 4v5 on offense. That’s a problem.

This shooting struggle has extended into offense, which is especially hard for a wing. In the postseason, he averaged 8.2 points per game, on top of shooting 14% from behind the arc and 51.5% from the free-throw line. In today’s league, a wing must be able to score consistently, regardless of their absolute dominance on the offensive end of the floor. This is where Thompson must develop this offseason.

Who Is the 2nd Option?

Detroit’s second option debate has plenty of point for either Duren or Thompson, but what the front office has done this offseason is more telling: They’re building with both in mind. This sounds like a cop-out, but the truth is the priority for the team is to win with their core of Cunningham, Duren, and Ausar.

Here’s why:

The Pistons' entire offseason plan was to put shooting around them. Isaiah Joe, John Collins, and Taurean Prince were specifically acquired to spread the floor for the non-shooters as well as to allow Cunningham to operate more fluidly. Detroit is operating with the idea that Duren and Thompson will be back, which is why they brought in shooters to take the pressure off of both of them and put them in positions to succeed.

With that, the Pistons have a financial incentive to keep both players, but not at a detrimental cost to the organization. Duren, who wasn’t able to leverage his breakout season into a lucrative max deal, is valued by the team, but the front office has a clear cap on the price tag. Ausar, according to insiders, is expected to get close to the $30 million range. The Pistons front office is playing the long game, after several teams have had their hands forced in order to comply with the new NBA salary cap rules and have seen other teams' cores torn apart.

While the debate of Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren is going to continue for the foreseeable future, both players have a defined role on the Pistons that can’t be easily replaced. Whether it’s finishing with Duren or defense with Thompson, both players are leaders on opposite ends of the spectrum. Make no mistake, the Pistons want both players on the team, and both players have their faults, but which strength is most important to the Pistons' future?