For now Jalen Duren continues to rehabilitate from a hamstring strain and has been cleared to return to action, he will be sidelined for at least two more weeks and is the next time he will be reevaluated, Pistons announced today (Link to Twitter).
The Pistons will play seven times over the next few weeks before traveling to Atlanta on Nov. 22 to face the Hawks. Duren’s next update may come before this game.
Duren has been out since Oct. 23, when he sprained his right hamstring in the second quarter of a win over Miami.
In addition to being selected to his first All-Star game last season, Duren also earned a third-team All-NBA spot, averaging 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 70 regular season games (28.2 minutes per game).
A 22-year-old large man who resigned with the Pistons on a five-year, $200 million deal as a restricted free agent after what were widely described as contentious negotiations, missed part of training camp and several preseason games as those talks dragged into early October.
Duren had 22 points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes in Detroit’s season-opening win over Boston and had four points, six rebounds and three assists in 10 minutes in the Oct. 23 contest before suffering a hamstring injury.
Paul Reed has been the Pistons’ starting center with Duren on the sidelines, and that will continue until his teammate is ready to return. Head coach J. Bickerstaff largely abandoned the use of a traditional five as Reid’s backup, instead playing smaller lineups.
So far, the Pistons have gone 4-2 without Duren and are 6-2 overall. They host the 8-2 Lakers on Sunday night.
