an instagram post from ryu jaejun who trained sunghoon... before. this is such an endearing message. “i went to an enhypen concert at sunghoon’s invitation. sunghoon, whom i coached for five years during his figure skating days, was very shy and introverted back then, but when it came to sports, he was a quiet kid who worked incredibly hard. when i asked him if it wasn't difficult to balance figure skating and being an idol trainee, the teenage boy would always say he enjoyed it so much that he didn't even feel the hardship. now, he has grown into a wonderful idol and singer who travels the world holding concerts. seeing him captivate the audience and communicate with fans without a trace of his introverted personality made me think about how much effort he must have put in all this time. it definitely couldn't have been easy for someone with sunghoon’s personality, but rather than seeming difficult, it just looked admirable and impressive. (it seems his persistence and grit from his athletic days really helped him during his trainee period.) one important lesson i felt today: when people are doing what they love, they can change endlessly and grow in any way. just like enhypen’s sunghoon.” #sunghoon #성훈show more

Since most of this year’s hashtags come from Sunghoon’s... iconic memes, here’s an explanation of each one: 1. 내가 오늘생일인 박성훈이다 “I am Park Sunghoon” meme: A winter meme in Korea. When roads get icy, people joke, “I’m not Park Sunghoon,” meaning it’s hard to walk on ice because they don’t have Sunghoon’s skating skills. It goes viral every winter 2. 진짜잘노는 성훈생일이래 Sunghoon’s famous “He really knows how to have fun” meme: This started from a story where someone did Sunghoon’s TikTok dance at a club, and a guy next to her said, “Wow, you really know how to have fun” It became a huge trend in Korea 3. 훈선대원군 성훈생일상 대령하라 Hoonseondaewongun: A nickname based on Heungseon Daewongun (a historical figure known for isolationist policies). Fans gave Sunghoon this name because during Weverse Lives he usually reads Korean comments more than English ones, so even international fans end up typing in Korean when he’s live 4. 누구생일인가봐 웅성웅성훈 (“All the chatter… guess it’s Sunghoon’s birthday!”): This was another tweet that went viral in Korea. When a teacher asked the students what ‘husband’ means, one girl answered ‘Park Sunghoon’show more

turns out joong was the one who told dunk... to say he has no bf in chinese , i lowkey already guessed it cause dunk never denies joong is his boyfriend joong just wanted to mess with him but then he realized what he did and looked like he wanted to call him out for saying it when he was the one who told him to say It JSJJAJAJAJshow more

When OP asked him to tell a secret, Sunghoon... shared about his health. He said his digestion hasn’t been good lately, so he started taking lactic acid bacteria. 🐧: Ah... what secrets do I have... 🐧: Lately, my digestion hasn't been very good... 👤: Your digestion isn't good...? Take some medicine, medicine! 🐧: That's why I started taking probiotics, but they said it takes some time for them to settle in. Sunghoon usually works so hard without showing any signs of weakness, so it makes me happy when he honestly shares things like this sometimes. If I could become the lactic acid bacteria in Sunghoon’s body, I’d work my hardest to make him feel better right away 😂show more

🙏♥️🙏 "Hey... you alright, kid? You got someone?" I... remember trying to answer, but my voice barely came out. "Just me..." I was pulled from beneath twisted metal, shaking so hard I could hardly breathe. Everything felt loud and empty at the same time-until he stepped into it. Sergeant Marcus Hayes. He didn't ask many questions. He didn't make a speech. He just lifted me gently into his arms and said, "You're safe now." And somehow... I believed him. From that moment on, he never really let me go. At the camp, he'd slide part of his meal onto my tray without a word. He showed me how to tie my boots, slow and patient, like it mattered. On the nights when the silence got too heavy and I couldn't stop crying, he'd sit nearby—never forcing me to talk, just making sure I wasn't alone. He wasn't trying to be a hero. He was just choosing to care. And that changed everything. When he brought me home, he didn't just give me a place to stay—he gave me a life to grow into. He became the steady presence I didn't know I needed. He taught me how to stand tall when things felt impossible... how to keep my word even when no one was watching... how to become someone I could be proud of. I watched him in the quiet moments— shaving in the mirror, fixing the truck in the driveway, folding his uniform with care and discipline. Every little thing meant something. And without realizing it, I started building myself in his image. Years later, 1 wear that same uniform. And every time I stand in front of the mirror, adjusting it just right... I don't just see myself. I see Sergeant Marcus Hayes standing behind me quiet, steady, and proud 🙏♥️🙏show more

🗣️: Who do you think is the hyung who... takes care of Ni-ki the most? 🐈: Jake hyung. 🐈: Jake hyung really takes good care of Ni-ki. When we all go home, Ni-ki can’t go because his home is in Japan. So during vacations, Jake hyung invites him out to eat or hang out together. He really takes such good care of him. 🗣️: I imagine you take very good care of them. 🦮: They’re away from their parents, just like I am. But I think it would be really difficult for me if I were their age. Especially Ni-ki; he’s three years younger than me and lives far away from home, so I try to take care of him. JAKE, who from the very first moment he saw Ni-ki knew that he wanted to and had to protect him and take care of him with everything he had. He has always been there for him, taking care of him with tenderness, love, and warmth, playing with him so he would never lose that part of his childhood and accompanying him as he grew up, being a father figure to him who taught him with love. And even today, he still does it with the same dedication, love, and affection, because Ni-ki will always be his little one, his baby duckling, that little one he will always look after.💗 #JAKE #니키 #NI_KI #ニキshow more

"My dad forgot my name last Thursday. He looked... at me for a long time and I could see him trying and I smiled and said it's okay Dad and meant it and didn't mean it. Yesterday I brought Bruno to visit. Dad was in his recliner staring at the window the way he does when he's somewhere we can't follow. Bruno walked in. Dad turned. And his whole face — his whole face — became the face I grew up with. He reached out both hands. He said Bruno's name perfectly. Clearly. No hesitation. He said it the way you say the name of something you have loved so long it lives below the place the disease can reach." He held Bruno's face in both hands for a long time. He talked to him. Full sentences. Things I haven't heard from him in months. He said — "There's my boy. There he is. I knew you'd come." I sat in the corner of that room and I let them have it and I didn't make a sound because some things are not for witnessing loudly. My dad has Alzheimer's. Some days he knows me. Some days he is somewhere I cannot find him. But he always knows Bruno. Every single visit. Every single time. Bruno walks in and my father comes back to the surface like something in him refuses to forget the one who never left. I don't know what that is. I don't know the name for it. I just know that Bruno walks into that room and my father says his name and for a few minutes I have my dad back. That's everything. Some days that's just everything. Drop a ❤️ for Dad. And for Bruno who finds him every single time in places I can't reach.show more

Our Keepers move between units as elephants grow —... Nursery, Voi, Kaluku, and Umani. When Mzinga arrived at our Nairobi Nursery, Sammy was there to shepherd her through her earliest, most vulnerable days. But rewind a few years, and he was in Voi, bonding with an elephant who still holds a special place in his heart: Murit. "I looked after him and he became very attached to me. We were both new to Voi, so we created a bond and leaned on each other.Whenever he heard my voice, he started shouting to get my attention. Even when I would take a few steps away from him, he would be right there, following me. It was hard to leave him when I returned to the Nursery after a few years, but by that time he was strong and didn’t need me. It makes me happy to know that he is big and independent and even starting to find his way in the wild."show more

A while ago I made a post about, and... contacted this guy about his behavior. Xtdo apologized by saying "sowwy" and said he thought I was ignoring him prior to this because I got distracted with my friends. I told him that if he continued this behavior, it would get him in trouble, and low and behold, told him it'd happen. Because he didn't change his behavior, here is proof that he runs around doing this right here. After I made my post, he became upset claiming I was trying to remain relevant through traction you get from drama, and insisted having a talk in vrchat repeatedly while calling it cringe that I voiced my frustration (without mentioning him until this post right now), that his friends didn't like me, it felt as if he was incredibly indifferent to how he reacted to me. Im making this post because he did this to my friends and hasn't improved his behavior.show more

some reflections from wonbin during recent fansigns... lately, he’s... been so vulnerable about his growth and journey since debut. it’s heart-wrenching yet so meaningful to see him open up about his worries like this. during the fansign yesterday, he asked, “what i want to say might sound boring, but since you’ve seen me for a long time, what do you think of me now? am i different? have i changed?” he was clearly looking for reassurance from a fan who has been there since day one. he brought it up again during today’s fansign. he mentioned that while there are many new briize, he was specifically curious about the thoughts of the fans who have been watching him since debut. it’s clear how much he values the perspective of those who’ve witnessed his growth. wonbin… if the path you were taking was wrong, i wouldn’t love you this much, so please don't worry! seeing him so introspective only proves how much he cares about his sincerity. he hasn’t changed, he just continues to grow into the person we were always so proud to support 🩷show more

I thought Baekhyun would actually know that this is... actually a way to trick him into doing an aegyo but he actually didn't know and his face in the end when he realized that he's actually being tricked into doing it is so funny 😂show more

"Yesterday on our way home, we broke down 2... hours away from home... on a busy interstate with three kids in tow. It wasn't exactly ideal, especially with a hungry newborn. I wouldn't get the baby out of his seat to feed him incase we got smacked by another vehicle on the highway, he was the safest in his seat. We called dispatch and AAA and an Alabama State Trooper showed up to help. I thought he was just going to divert traffic away from our lane, but he did so much more than that. He loaded the kids and I in his car and got us off the highway and to the closest rest stop. Sean stayed with the car to wait for the tow truck. He checked the bathroom for 'boogieman so Madeline could use the restroom. He shot illuminating helicopters in the sky with the kids while I made calls to try to get home. Major got really fussy when I was trying to wrangle my other children and calm them down from the evening's happenings. Without hesitation, he took Major out of his seat and gave him the bottle I had prepared from earlier. It seemed like he does that every day, knew how to hold him and when to burp him. Major even filled his pants during his feeding and the trooper laughed and continued feeding him. He then helped unload all our stuff from our car to his and drove our family to the nearest hotel. It was late, nothing was open, and we couldn't get a rental car until the morning. He helped unload our unruly amount of crap into our hotel room, told us where all the rental car places were, gave the girls a hug, and told us to call if we needed anything. That my friends... is humanity." 🙏show more

➡️ The ZANU fighter was just defeated by a... 60-year old guy. 😌 This guy, Themba Gorimbo, had the support of most Zimbabweans when he entered the UFC, because – what a great achievement and representation for our country! 👏🏾👏🏾🙌🏾 🇿🇼 Then, he made the quintessential error that many shallow Zimbabweans who find fame MAKE – he involved himself in regime politics ... because he saw it as a way to make a quick fortune. 💰💰 He started to ride high on ARROGANCE, and use his platform to insult and mock the opposition movement while promoting ED and ZANU PF regularly. He is especially known for stalking Winky D, and posting negative comments and mockeries about him, in order to please his ZANU masters. He thought that if he placed himself on the buttered side 🧈🍞 – the OPPRESSOR’S side - then he would be on the fast track to wealth, freebies and trinkets. 💵 Amateur mistake. When you’re a professional athlete there is no upside to playing politics. 🤷🏾‍♂️ You’ll just alienate many supporters unnecessarily, and attract controversy. You also draw negative attention to yourself internationally. MMA is a global sport and UFC is the pinnacle of the sport. So then he started losing supporters and attracting criticism ... but continued on his arrogant high horse, believing that his commitment to ZANU would pay off. Then when was CHOKED OUT in his last fight and lost consciousness in front of the entire world 😴- he thereafter had a "Damascus moment" when he realized that HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of UFC fans around the world were joyous about his humiliation! 😃 Especially when at one point he enjoyed widespread support and a growing fanbase - even the Rock had given him a house in the early days ... before Gorimbo showed himself to be an arrogant, toxic chump. 🤦🏾‍♂️ Then after being choked out he tried to “CHANGE” and win people over again, and started becoming anti-Zanu, etc. And it has worked for some people, but for a lot of OTHER people, including me (who was initially a HUGE fan), the damage had been done... 🙅🏾‍♂️ I always support Zimbabwean athletes and teams PASSIONATELY 🇿🇼 – but this guy has shown his true colours, and I find him to be unsavoury... He’s someone who tried to use his platform to benefit from the REGIME. He supported OPPRESSION and mocked the suffering of Zimbabweans, and efforts of the opposition. He is NOT a good guy. 😏 He is only now pretending to be in support of the PEOPLE because he has seen how supporting dictators will negatively affect his MMA career. It actually may be too late for him to redeem himself because even on the MMA twitterverse, I see a LOT of people from around the world posting negatively about his arrogance. They are also calling him a SCAMMER because of the library he had said he was building “in his village” and apparently people donated money, but there is ZERO library in existence 🤔- and when he has been pressed to explain he has been saying to critics that he built ¾ of the library and then he had to tear it down for some reason... 👀 I will always view him as a “ZANU fighter” because that’s what he proudly was for a long time, and has now realized his miscalculation ... and trying to pretend to be otherwise. Anyway, good luck to him. Because these days KARMA is visiting him.show more

my father worked most his life to support those... around him. his family, his siblings, his parents, his extended family. he didn’t have much, but he always did his best. he gave so much to everyone around him, it even caused fights between him and mum. he is a giver. truly a kind man. my father taught me mathematics in JS1, and all through secondary school i carried math prize. from JS1 to SS3. his math lessons laid the foundation for the engineering mind i have today. i also represented my school in competitions and olympiads. came fourth nationwide in one of them. how he had the patience to teach me all those years ago, even when his life was filled with stress and responsibilities i knew nothing about. my dad is one of those who inspired me to excel from a young age. a true great man. Happy Father’s Day!!show more

Beware of Collins: How a "Friend" Scammed Me and... 9 Others I am writing this to warn everyone in the Web3, Monad, Solana, and Nigerianad communities. There is a person among us named Collins (known on X as Collins) who acts like a kind, active community member, but he is actually a professional scammer. He has stolen over $1,500 from me and has done the same to at least 9 other people. Collins used a very clever strategy to steal our money. He started by being very active in our local Nigerian Telegram groups. He called himself a "Solana Maxi" and always posted screenshots of big wins making people think he was making $5,000 or $7,000 from trading. We didn't know it was all a "format" just to get our attention. I did not trust him at first. However, we started organizing Lagos State meetups. When I met him in person, he was always smiling and happy. He acted like a brother. Seeing his face in real life made me lower my guard. If we had stayed just "online friends," I would never have sent him even $1, but because of those physical meetings, I thought he was real. His scam started when he told me about a "special developer" launching a token. He claimed he had an insider connection and that we could make 5x or 10x our money. He asked me to contribute $2,000. I told him I didn't have it. A few days later, he came back and begged me not to miss the "update." I decided to try with $1,000. To make me trust him completely, he played a long game. When I asked for a refund a week later because I had an emergency, he sent the $1,000 back immediately. This was his biggest trick. It made me believe he was 100% honest. Soon after, he showed me more fake wins on X and told me another project was going live on December 22nd. Because he returned my money the first time, I trusted him and sent the $1,000 back to him. When the date came, he claimed the "dev postponed the listing." While I was waiting for that money, he came with another "emergency" project, asking for another $1,000. I told him I only had $500 left my last card. He took that too. Then the excuses started. He claimed he went to the village to see his parents and that the network was bad. He said he couldn't access his Bybit account because he left his SIM card behind. He even begged me for another $100 in SOL just to help him out while he was "stuck." Because I thought my friend was in trouble, I sent it, bringing the total to $1,600. Every time I asked for my money, he told me "don't worry" and promised to pay once he left the village. But two days ago, the truth came out. I checked X and found out he has been doing this to everyone. He uses his friendly face and community status to prey on people. He is not a trader; he is a thief whose goal is to see the end of his friends' hard-earned money. Please, do not deal with Collins or his sister Trader Nenyenwa 📊📈💎. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He will smile with you today and empty your wallet tomorrow. Don't let his "kindness" fool you like it fooled me. Please help me like this post, retweet and comment until I and my guys recover our losses 😢 😭 Please go viral: ZachXBT Coffeezilla Spreek Nick Bax.eth JP PeckShield Inc. SlowMist CertiK Arkham Lookonchain Monad Solanashow more

My heart is in pieces. I lost my best... boy yesterday. He was 13 but it still felt sudden. I know a lot of you know Homer as he was often in the background of my pics. He was the sweetest, funniest and most loving little guy, and I feel very grateful to have had spent such a good amount of time with him. Yesterday Homer had a massive seizure. I rushed him to the vet immediately and they tried for several hours but we just couldn’t save him. I know it was his time. And I know I did everything I could. But it still doesn’t take away the heartache. I will miss him so much. They are with us for such a short time but have such a huge impact on our lives. Rip my little guyshow more

rewatching ep 4 for the nth time and I... think this is going to be one of those scenes that stays with me for a very long time😭it isn’t just Pete crying, he completely breaks down like full sobbing, barely holding himself together, curling into a ball of grief hiding himself in the blanket like years of pain finally poured out at once. When you think about everything we know about Pete, he’s just 24, yet he’s been emotionally exhausted for years. His gang is younger than him, meaning he can’t really share anything with them. His sister neglects him, and the way he talks about his relatives makes it obvious that his family life is filled with distance rather than care😔 It’s the first time Pete has ever talked about his past, not running from it but actually saying it out loud while someone quietly listens to him. Niran doesn’t interrupt Pete or try to comfort him. He looks composed the whole time, but I can feel his emotions through the silence, the sigh, the way he listens. He is simply lying there but it’s a safe space for Pete to unravel, which is why Pete later says that people feel at ease around Niran. It’s not cuz Niran is affectionate, it’s cuz he says things as they are and that helps Pete feel like he can be himself around him, even at his most broken moment. The scene before where he was furious with Pete, he’s not judging Pete’s life, he’s just giving him the hard truth. He doesn’t sugarcoat things, but he also doesn’t invalidate Pete’s pain. Instead, he’s trying to make Pete realize that his life has value, but he’s letting anger, recklessness and negative emotions get the best of him. And for someone like Pete, who spent most of his life feeling unwanted and unseen, this kind of brutal honesty is what he needs to turn over a new leaf🥹show more

2. Teasers / MV / Live presentations We believe... all the content should include all members. Not some content, but all of it. We see some people excusing the exclusion of Lee Know in some content because "he will appear in other content", we don't understand why he would be excluded out of any content when the group includes 8 members. There isn't an excuse for this to happen all the time. We will only talk about recent releases and God's Menu to not make this even longer. a) Gods Menu - A title track where they gave him zero lines and screen time (song that they continue to sing, so the company could have made a redistribution of the lines). b) Megaverse - They gave him lines in the initial release, but then they cut his part to 3 seconds, and decided to delete his center part leaving him with half of a line. c) Hall Of Fame - Every live presentation they would cut Lee Know on his own part recording from below all of the other members and only listening to Lee Know's voice without being able to look at him. d) S-Class - They stopped recording the kick he does and instead they record the other members, Lee Know sings there. e) JJAM - When it was dance racha time, Lee Know got almost no time, during the life presentation the moment he goes to the center he says his line "I know..." and while he says it, the screen gets black, so he doesn't have that time on screen, later he is placed at the back covered during the dance break. He is the dance leader. f) Walkin on Water' - During the live presentation, they decided to record everyone on his part, and cut it from his own fancam. g) Recent teasers - He was completely excluded from the first teaser and only included in the second one, he got no solo recording on the MV like the other members. h) Giant - There is a part on the video where all the members are shown, Lee Know is covered and the lights are lowered where he is, making him invisible. During the live presentation, they record other members on his part, they put the dance focus on others, being the only part he has where he sings alone. i) YOUTH - After the release of the MV, the company decided to edit the video causing views to freeze and deleting a very important part where it thanked the people involved. The time from when the video was finished to when it was published was enough to arrange all the details, and the part deleted was so big, it was impossible to miss it. This happened before with his other individual work “Dawn”, which was deleted after some time, and re-uploaded, deleting all the views it had accumulated. This means one of two things, the company puts less interest and effort in Lee Know's work, or the company is purposefully hindering Lee Know's work. Either of the two is unacceptable by a company with so many resources and that claims to be a leader in the industry. This only shows a lack of professionalism and care. j) Dance leader - We know he is the dance leader, and K-stays and the members have talked a lot about how involved he is and how hard he works in that position, but the company refuses to include any footage of him doing it, and even cuts the parts where he gives his all. Just recently K-Stays were raving about how hard Lee Know worked as the dance leader and how much effort it took, One Label cut all of that footage from the Talker. It appears they don't want stays to look at anything he does, or to not give him recognition for anything.show more

Instead of just talking about it, I wanted to... go through it and really break it down to figure out the exact reason for the difference in Jalen Duren's play between the regular season and the playoffs. *LONG BREAKDOWN COMING* First, lets list how much the difference was: Iso in RS: 82nd %ile Iso in PS: 21st %ile Post-ups in RS: 88th %ile Post-ups in PS: 59th %ile PPP on drives in RS: 1.18 ppp PPP on drives in PS: 0.80 Layups in RS: 79th %ile Layups in PS: 19th %ile It was a staggering drop off. Shocking to many of us who watched him all season. So, what happened? Well, #1 I think mentally he was letting his struggles get to him and he started to play out of control. Something that suggests this to me is this stat: He started to figure some things out himself in isolation over the last 2 games against the Cavs. He had six isolation possessions in the final two games against the Cavs; he scored on five of those possessions and drew a foul on the other. Game 6 he started to look confident and really made them pay out of isolation. I really think a ton of it was he got hit with a punch early against ORL and really struggled to handle the pressure and struggles after, and just kept stacking and stacking. So, him being in his own head is #1 for me. #2: His handle got exposed quite a bit. In the regular season, he only had a 4.2 TO% in isolation, which is incredible. In the playoffs, though, that spiked to 20 TO%. On drives in the RS, he had a TO% of 4%. In the PS, it jumped to 13.3%. The first clip below shows how the right-to-left cross he loved doing all season was really taken away from him. Too loose of a handle, and he often got his pocket picked trying this exact move over and over. I think having his go-to move taken from him shook him a bit and left him scrambling a bit in his head to find a counter. The second clip shows, imo, him starting to lose trust in his handle. He immediately turns his back to the defender, which is what you do when you're worried about losing the ball. But, even then, he loses control of the handle and it ends up in a turnover. If I'm the Pistons, I'm showing all his turnovers due to his handle and working with him on tightening his handle and also helping him get comfortable with a counter/second move so defenders don't just sit on the right-to-left cross. #3: I think he really struggled to adjust to the playoff whistle. In the regular season, he drew free throws on 21% of his isolations and 31% of his post-ups. In the PS, it dropped to 14% and 11%, respectively. There were many possessions where in the RS he would've got free throws, but did not in the PS and he was frustrated. In the third clip, you'll see how physical he was being played by Mobley (which we all want physicality in the game). But, in the RS, he probably is getting FTA's here. There are many examples of this where it felt like a lot of his value during the RS was being able to draw FTA's on his drives, and in the PS, refs just allowed more physicality, and he struggled to deal with it. #4: Ausar-Duren duo. I believe in this duo, and I do not think this was the main reason Duren struggled. However, I am not blind to the fact that there were obviously some possessions that hurt Duren. In the regular season, Duen actually got less efficient when Ausar wasn't on the floor. However, in the playoffs, Duren went from 51 TS% with Ausar on the floor (302 minutes) to 64 TS% with Ausar off the floor (121 minutes). In the 4th clip, you really see how the lack of spacing caused a tough shot from Duren. He gets a step on WCJ going right, and probably would prefer to then just use his strength to create spearation. However, he sees Suggs sitting in the right gap off of Ausar, which forces him to spin left. Once he spins left, Paolo is completely leaving Tobias open. This is one of the reasons I really think DET needs a spacing 4 because this should be an easy kickout from Duren to a shooter. He still should've made this pass to Tobias, but a legit shooting 4 I think would relocate to the corner and make an easier outlet/easier to see for Duren. But, he still coulda made the pass, tbf. Either way, you see how the lack of spacing from both Ausar and Tobias forced Duren into a really awkward drive where he was forced into an extremely tough shot. I think if the passing returned from Duren, some of these situations wouldn't happen. Hitting Ausar early as he cuts into the space would work, or hitting Tobias (who again shoulda be making himself more available) beyond the arc results in better offense. But, also, having better spacing probably allows Duren to just get to his original move once he beats WCJ off the dribble. and lastly #5: He really just didn't play well. I can't include any more clips (I'll put some in the immediate thread reply to display), but he really just didn't play well. Missed *a lot* of looks we're used to him making. His touch around the rim left him, looked like he really felt rushed in the paint. He was struggling to secure rebounds after dominating the glass all season (during the RS, he averaged 4.3 second chance points a game, in the PS it dropped to 2.3). During RS, he had a 22.0 DREB%, which dropped to 16.0% in the playoffs. So, I think a lot of factors played into why he struggled so much in the playoffs. My takeaway is I don't think these things are unfixable; actually, I think they're very fixable. Experience of dealing with what playoff physicality is I think is going to help moving forward. All young players have to adjust to that--I think Cade really learned that from NY series to this playoff run. Tightening his handle and just having a second move to go to is not something that should be considered impossible. I'd like to believe it's pretty likely with how much he works and the raw skill he already has with his handle. Pistons adding a legit spacer at the four I think solves a lot and will make Duren's life a lot easier. The most concerning part is mental. And we won't know an answer to that until the next playoffs. Did this experience help him on his journey towards becoming mentally strong and prepared enough to move forward? Did this run help him find a routine that helps him lock in mentally, as many players have said they had to discover? Or will the pressure from struggling last postseason get to him this upcoming postseason? Will he let mistakes get into his head, compound them, and start playing rashly? I don't think the second option will be the case, but no one will know until the next postseason. Honestly, I'm more concerned and critical of his defense in the playoffs (which at times was pretty good and at other times was an incredible struggle), but that would require its own thread. My ending thoughts: I still very much believe in Duren. This playoff run showed he has areas he must sharpen up and learn from, but at 22 that shouldn't be a shocker. He is incredibly talented and made a large jump during the RS. The PS posed challenges he didn't quite have answers to yet. But another run of experience, another offseason of training, and another year older should lead him down a good path. I am fully supportive of paying Duren and extending him. I am not at close to 50 million dollars. 35-40 million is where I think they'll settle on, and I'm fine with that. But, he's gotta learn from these playoffs! Every offseason he's gotten better, I don't have a reason to believe Jalen Duren won't learn and improve again this summer. He's only 22.show more