The Detroit Pistons have a problem—and his name is Jalen Duren.

During the regular season, Duren looked like one of the NBA's brightest young stars, averaging 19.5 points per game and leading the league with an incredible 68.8% true shooting percentage. But the playoffs have told a completely different story. Through 11 postseason games, he's scored more than 12 points just once. His shooting efficiency has plummeted to 54.4%. Analyst Carson Breber called it "one of the biggest playoff drops we've seen"—and the numbers back that up.

Some drop-off is expected when the games get tighter and the defense gets tougher. But this steep of a decline, and this early in the postseason? That's a red flag.

In the first round against Orlando, Duren matched up mostly with Wendell Carter Jr. The entire Pistons team looked out of sync for much of that series, so Duren's struggles were just one piece of a larger puzzle. But against Cleveland in the second round, something strange happened: the Pistons found their rhythm—everyone except Duren.

The Cavaliers present a brutal matchup. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley bring elite frontcourt length, and both can guard Duren one-on-one or provide help-side defense when they share the floor. Duren is stronger and more physical than either of them, which should give him an edge—but so far, that advantage has rarely shown up.

Detroit has adjusted by running fewer plays designed for Duren, leaning instead on their perimeter scorers to carry the load. But at some point, a team's success in the playoffs comes down to its center playing like the star he was in the regular season. When that moment arrives, Duren will need to answer the call—or the Pistons' postseason hopes may slip away.