WASHINGTON, DC -  MARCH 17: Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons dunks the ball during the game against the Washington Wizards on March 17, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, use r is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images Under the Hood – it’s time to see what’s really going on inside this Pistons team. Look, I’ve been slacking the past month or two on these articles – that’s on me. I got a new job, we rescued a new puppy, and I get married in October so life has been busy in the Buckets household (shoutout Tony?). I had to take a halftime break halfway through writing this article because the puppy went to the bathroom in my office – fun! No excuses, though – let’s hoop. Firing on All Cylinders Jalen Duren played 32 minutes last night and finished with 36 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and a block. What I’ve found to be interesting with Duren’s recent play post-All Star break is Detroit’s offense focusing on getting the ball to JD down low when he has a good seal on his defender. As fundamental as it seems, teams that don’t have bigs that can handle Duren really struggle preventing this action. View LinkView Link We really see the growth in JD’s game when he decides to put the ball on the floor. Somebody that strong and that big shouldn’t be able to move the way he does, but he uses those advantages to overpower defenders on his way to the rim. View LinkView Link And sometimes, you’re just too big for everyone else on the court. View Link Transmission Trouble If you take away Cade’s minutes last night after his injury, JB Bickerstaff played 11 guys. I don’t mind him playing that many as it seems apparent to me that he’s trying to figure out who’s going to be in his playoff rotation when he has to cut it down to eight or nine players. It’s worth noting in this one that Marcus Sasser, Kevin Huerter, Daniss Jenkins, and Caris LeVert all played more than 20 minutes off the bench. If you’re rooting for Huerter to make the playoff rotation, last night didn’t help him, at least from a shooting perspective – he missed all five of three-point attempts while Sasser, Jenkins, and LeVert combined to shoot 8-for-12. Huerter did snag four rebounds and had three assists so he found other ways to get involved, but that shot needs to fall. He did have this bizarre circus layup last night, though: View Link Mechanic’s Note Back to JD – how about his passing? While this is a great shot by Sasser, seeing Duren grab the rebound and immediately go behind his back to start the transition opportunity looks like something a point guard would be doing. View Link Even after he got his 36th point, he was still looking for his teammates and found Tobias open down low to force a Wizards timeout late with the game out of reach. View Link Last, even though this wasn’t an assist, this is the read that makes me the most excited about JD’s processing ability. In the playoffs, teams are going to be focusing their defense around stopping the Cade/Duren pick-and-roll. As Duren attracts attention on the roll, it’s important for him to make a quick read to the other side of the court when a teammate is open. Because three Wizards end up guarding him in the paint, both Robinson and Harris are wide open from three. View Link ...read more read less