Cade Cunningham States the Obvious About Pistons' Jalen Duren

One of Cade Cunningham's co-stars is putting together a dominant start so far.

Oct 24, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) reacts after scoring a basket during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Outside of Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren scored the second-most points for the Detroit Pistons on Sunday afternoon against the Boston Celtics.

After what turned out to be an early night for Duren in the second game due to an ejection, the veteran center re-entered the Pistons’ lineup and proved what’s been obvious. He’s still hard to stop when he’s got it going.

“He was huge,” Pistons star Cade Cunningham told reporters. “Dominated the paint—he had like 20 rebounds—something like that. That’s what he does.”

Mar 19, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) celebrates with center Jalen Duren (0) after the game against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

While Cunningham’s guess was two more rebounds than what Duren actually produced, 18 boards is certainly nothing to overlook.

“They try to keep him off the glass as best as they can, but he just wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Cunningham added. “Kept crashing and putting a lot of pressure on their defense and got us a lot of extra chances and all that.”

In 28 minutes of action, Duren went 6-12 from the field and knocked down all but one of his 13 shots from the free throw line. He finished the game with 24 points, 18 rebounds, and two blocked shots.

As for Cunningham, he had a 37-minute shift for Detroit. The veteran guard shot 8-18 from the field, knocking down a couple of threes and shooting a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe. He led the Pistons in scoring with 25 points. He also racked up eight assists and came down with a few rebounds.

The Pistons defeated the Celtics 119-113, sending Boston home with their third-straight loss. Detroit leaves that matchup feeling great about what Duren will bring to the table moving forward.

“He keeps playing like that, he’s hard to stop,” Cunningham finished. “Everybody can see that.”

“He was huge.”

Cade Cunningham speaks on Jalen Duren’s performance, where he had 24 points and 17 rebounds in the #Pistons win vs. the Celtics. pic.twitter.com/huiTQWauIF

— Coty M. Davis (@CotyDavis_24) October 27, 2025

At this point, Duren is playing for a contract. The rookie-scale extension deadline passed, and the veteran center didn’t have a deal lined up. As a result, Duren will get a shot at free agency in the summer, where he’ll be a restricted prospect.

Each matchup matters for Duren, who has been off to a strong start to his career. He’s got three seasons in the bag and averaged a double-double over the past two years. Last season, Duren produced 11.8 points per game, along with 11.6 rebounds.

Through his first three games this season, Duren is averaging 15.0 points, which would be a career-high pace, along with 10.0 rebounds.

The Pistons are back on the court on Monday to face the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 PM ET.