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Philly native Jalen Duren is an NBA rookie that just turned 19, but you wouldn’t know from the way he carries himself and plays
It wasn’t that long ago that the Philadelphia 76ers were in the midst of The Process. Yes, there was a lot of losing involved, but a few positives came out of it as well. Players like Jerami Grant, Robert Covington and T.J. McConnell got the runway to become legitimate NBA players.
And, despite whiffing on a few draft picks, the Sixers hit the jackpot in 2014 when they selected perennial MVP candidate Joel Embiid third overall.
There was another NBA player around during The Process that remembers it quite vividly — he just wasn’t on the court. Jalen Duren, the 13th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, often found himself in the cheap seats watching games at the Wells Fargo Center.
When the Detroit Pistons came to Philly last week, it was a dream-like homecoming for the promising rookie.
“Man, it’s a surreal feeling right now,” Duren said pregame. “This is amazing for me. I was just talking to the coaches, I remember being up in the nosebleeds watching the game so to be on the floor now it’s just an amazing feeling for me.”
And his coaches definitely knew it was special for Duren — mostly because of the 40-50 tickets he needed that night.
“Well, I hope so because J.D. took everybody’s ticket so it better mean something,” Pistons head coach Dwane Casey joked.
Duren remembers seeing the start of Embiid’s career in the building where he’d square off against the two-time MVP runner-up. It wasn’t Duren’s — or the Pistons’ — best game of the season, but the young big man had his moments against the five-time All-Star.
And that’s in a season where Duren’s age has frequently belied his play. The groundwork for Duren’s rapid growth was laid in a city that loves its hoops.
“I said [Memphis head coach] Penny Hardaway — and coaches here in Philly — and [Memphis assistant and former Sixers head coach] Larry Brown, all those guys did a great job with him,” Casey said, “so he was taking the right steps of an NBA game, NBA approach, but nothing simulates being in it for real. But he’s a quick learner, smart, adapts to certain situations, coachable — you can get on his behind and he responds in the right way. He’s gonna be great for the Pistons organization for a long time.”
Duren starred at Philly Catholic League powerhouse Roman Catholic and also for Philly-based AAU squad Team Final, which has produced numerous NBA players.
Duren would transfer to national powerhouse Montverde in Florida for his junior and senior seasons. There he became one of the top recruits in the country. He ultimately spurned schools like Kentucky and the opportunity to turn pro for the G League Ignite to join Hardaway and Brown with the Tigers. After leading Memphis to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014 and winning AAC Freshman of the Year, Duren declared for the NBA Draft, where — after some confusion — he wound up a Piston.
But Duren still credits his Philly roots for molding him into the player he’s developed into.
“The grit, the grind,” Duren said. “Being at Roman and playing for Team Final just … basketball is huge in Philly — we all know that. So, growing up getting that competitive edge and playing against all types of guys, guys who could have made it to this level [but] just didn’t make the right decisions. I feel like growing up here helped me a lot, helped me with my competitive edge, helped me understanding the game and just being in touch with the game from an early age.”
The early returns on the Pistons draft night have been positive. Explosive guard Jaden Ivey, selected fifth overall out of Purdue, has proven to be a bright spot. Ivey and Duren, along with 2021 first overall pick Cade Cunningham, could form arguably the most intriguing young trio in the NBA.
But Detroit is 8-27 to start the year while Cunningham recently underwent season-ending shin surgery. It’s going to take time for Cunningham (21), Ivey (20) and Duren (19) to find their footing in the NBA and make the Pistons relevant again.
While there are several areas of growth for Duren, he’s taken advantage of every opportunity he’s gotten so far.
“There’s a lot of little nuances he’s still learning because different nights are different things he’s got to do,” Casey said. “He’s learning … he’s a great student — a sponge. But again, there’s no magic wand to say where he gets it in real time and just like all rookies there’s a learning curve but he’s right on track where he should be.”
There is one area of the game where Duren has already produced at an elite level: rebounding.
He leads all rookies in rebounds per game (8.2) and rebounding percentage (16.7, good for 14th in the entire NBA). He’s also eighth in the league in offensive rebounding percentage (12.6).
Sure, Duren’s 6-foot-10, 250-pounds frame and supreme athleticism help, but there’s also an innate skill to rebounding that he clearly has.
“What’s gonna take time is his shooting, his free throws and all those things,” Casey said. “Defensive coverages, terminology — those things will take time — but one thing I knew would translate would be his rebounding because of his size and physicality [and] his knack — he has a natural knack to rebound and that’s something you can’t teach.”
Ahead of the matchup against Embiid, Duren said it’s the type of challenge he loves. Battling elite bigs like Nikola Jokic or Anthony Davis is something Duren wants to learn from.
While his game doesn’t seem to line up with his birth certificate (he just turned 19 back in November), neither does his perspective.
“People will say I’m pretty raw and I look at that as a good thing because I have room to grow in all aspects,” Duren said. “But where I’m at now, I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot more than people would even expect. I feel like all aspects of my game can grow. I feel like we’re locked in on just me becoming the best player I can become.”
Trust the process, Detroit. It seems like the City of Brotherly Love produced a good one here.
