Pistons' Jalen Duren Calls out Doubters After Clinching NBA Playoff Bracket Spot

One year removed from the worst season in franchise history, the Detroit Pistons are playoff-bound after their 117-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.

Pistons center Jalen Duren celebrated the moment by calling out their doubters and skeptics coming into the season.

"People doubted us. They didn't believe. They thought it would take longer for us to turn this thing around but we're here. We're not done yet. We're going to take a moment to enjoy what we've accomplished, but it's only milestones. The real goal, obviously, is to bring championships back to our city."

The Pistons had already secured at least a play-in spot, but they have been on track to earn a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference for weeks.

Detroit (43-34) is currently fifth with a half-game advantage over the Milwaukee Bucks (42-34). There's a chance the Pistons could end up in the No. 4 spot, though they will need a lot to go right since the Indiana Pacers are up three with five games remaining in the regular season.

Regardless of where their seed ends up, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and his staff deserve a tremendous amount of credit for what they have done. The Pistons finished 14-68 last season, tied for the 12th-worst mark in NBA history by winning percentage (.171).

The Pistons surpassed their 2023-24 win total on Jan. 1. They matched their win total from the previous two seasons combined (31) on Feb. 23.

Cade Cunningham, four years after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick, has turned into the franchise player the Pistons have needed. The 23-year-old is averaging career-highs in points (25.7 per game), assists (9.2), rebounds (6.1) and has the highest field-goal percentage (46.2) of his career in 66 starts.

Duren is tied for ninth in the NBA with 39 double-doubles this season. He put up 21 points and 18 rebounds in the playoff-clinching win against the Raptors.

There is a foundation in place for the Pistons to build a successful roster into the future. This season marks a huge step for the franchise going into the playoffs for the first time since 2018-19.