Jalen Duren on facing Pistons fans after his contract standoff: ‘Business is business’

Jalen Duren spent most of the summer in a contract standoff with the Detroit Pistons. On Tuesday, in his first regular-season game since signing a five-year, $200 million deal, he scored 22 points as Detroit came back from 22 down to beat the Boston Celtics 121-113 in the NBA’s season opener.

Asked afterward whether he had been nervous about how Pistons fans would receive him, Duren said no. “I wasn’t nervous. I know the true fans know how much I love them and know how much I care about this city,” he said. “Obviously, business is business, but I was excited to be back in this jersey and put on for the fans.”

The video above was posted by Pistons beat writer Eric Vincent.

How the deal got done

Duren became a restricted free agent on June 30 after the two sides could not agree on an extension last year. He was eligible for a five-year deal worth up to $287 million, the talks dragged through the summer, and he missed media day and the first three days of training camp. He agreed to the $200 million contract on Oct. 1, about 90 minutes before the deadline to sign his $9.6 million qualifying offer, which would have made him an unrestricted free agent next summer.

The 22-year-old was coming off the best season of his career. He averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds on 65% shooting in 70 games for a 60-win team, made his first All-Star team and was named third-team All-NBA. In the playoffs he averaged 10.2 points, and the top-seeded Pistons lost in the second round.

‘We’ve seen the bottom’

Against Boston, Duren made 8 of 13 shots and 6 of 7 free throws and grabbed nine rebounds in 28 minutes. Cade Cunningham also scored 22, Duncan Robinson added 21 with five three-pointers, and the Pistons outscored Boston 76-55 in the second half after trailing 72-50 early in the third quarter.

Duren said he was not satisfied with the comeback. “I don’t like to be satisfied, because we’re definitely not satisfied,” he said. “I think the comeback just embodies the culture and what we’re trying to build here. We’re a team who is known to be gritty, known to get out the mud, known to never quit, and that’s why we were able to have the outcome we had.”

Asked whether the Pistons worried about being embarrassed in front of a national audience while down 22, he pointed to where the franchise came from. Detroit won 14 games three seasons ago. “We’ve seen the bottom. A lot of guys are new here, but we’ve seen the bottom. So we’re not afraid of it,” Duren said. “We’ve built everything we have so far off of being gritty, being dogs, and kind of just attacking everybody that comes in front of us.”

“We knew that we had to pick it up and play our brand of basketball to get back in it,” he said. “And, you know, thankfully we did.”

Keeping Mitchell Robinson off the glass

Detroit outrebounded Boston 49-39 and scored 24 second-chance points to the Celtics’ 16. Duren said boxing out was the focus for the whole team, not just the big men, because Boston’s wings crash from the corners. His main assignment was Mitchell Robinson, who had three rebounds in 18 minutes. “Mitchell Robinson has made his name in this league battling on the boards,” Duren said. “So my mindset tonight was, whether I get it or not, I just got to keep them off.”

He also said defenses are treating him differently now. “I think people are just watching me now a little bit more,” he said.

Praise for Green and Thompson

Javonte Green did not play in the first half and then scored 19 points, making 5 of 8 three-pointers. “Woo is a pro’s pro. Every game, you never know how many minutes he’s going to get, but every time his number is called, he’s ready,” Duren said. “Whether it’s knock down shots, get stops, guard the other team’s best player. He’s always there with energy.” He added that Green “can make everybody laugh and just kind of brings the team together.”

Ausar Thompson finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. “A.T. has been working his tail off,” Duren said. “He’s a gym rat. He does so much for us that might not even show up on the stat sheet. He never complains. He just picks it up and goes with it.”

Duren said the early tip, which opened the NBA season in the afternoon, gave Little Caesars Arena a different feel. “It felt like a playoff game, just with all the t-shirts and just all the energy,” he said. “I love these type of atmospheres.”

The Pistons visit the Miami Heat on Friday.