LeBron Defends Jalen Duren amid Backlash, Contract Rumors After Pistons' Loss to Cavs in New Video

Detroit Pistons big man Jalen Duren faced plenty of criticism when he struggled in his team's second-round loss to Cleveland Cavaliers, but LeBron James believes he will be better for it in the long run.

"Jalen Duren had a great year," the King said on Thursday's episode of his Mind the Game podcast with Steve Nash (31:55 mark). "All-Star this year. And it was his first—I think I remember a quote from, I think it was Jarrett Allen maybe last year or the year before, when they lost to the Knicks. And he said, 'Maybe the lights were a little too bright.'—You have to go through something at times.

"... Jalen Duren is young, he's still a young talent. He's going to have his moment where the lights won't feel too bright to him. And he'll shine. That's all part of the progression."

It was a reminder that Duren is just 22 years old and was in the second round of the playoffs for the first time in his career. Even the league's best players have to overcome adversity at times, and it's clear James believes Duren will be all the more prepared the next time he is in the playoffs.

Still, the postseason struggles may prove costly since Duren is scheduled for restricted free agency this summer.

Hunter Patterson of The Athletic reported the Pistons want to bring him back, but it could be at "a lower rate than expected" following the loss to Cleveland.

"Given his postseason showing, the widely held belief around the league is that he has little to no leverage to negotiate for the max," Patterson wrote, while ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst cited a Western Conference executive who believed an extension in the mid-$30 millions per season "might be what it takes to ultimately get a deal done."

It seemed like Duren was potentially heading toward a max deal during the regular season when he made his first career All-Star Game and averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 65 percent from the field.

He was Detroit's second-leading scorer behind only Cade Cunningham and a major reason the team finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference.

However, he scored in single digits in four of the team's seven games against the Cavaliers in the second round and was benched for some of the most important moments of the series. The Game 4 loss in particular stood out, as he managed just eight points and two rebounds to go with four turnovers and five personal fouls.

Pistons-Cavaliers Highlights

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Had Duren played like he did in the regular season, the Pistons may be facing the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

But James believes he will play up to his potential in the future after going through some early growing pains this time around.