If fans of the Detroit Pistons need a reason to be excited as the losses continue to pile up, then look no further than rookie Jalen Duren.
Duren is the NBA’s youngest player, but he doesn’t play like it, as he is already one of the best in the league at grabbing contested rebounds and is often the biggest and most athletic man on the floor.
He has drawn comparisons to another elite big man in Dwight Howard, and looks even more the part since being moved to the starting lineup, a change that will be permanent.
After posting a 12 point, 13 rebound double/double against the Pelicans, Duren was moved into the starting lineup, a move many of us have been waiting for all season, as he seems the best front court pairing with the red-hot Isaiah Stewart, who has been one of the league’s best 3-point shooting bigs this season, especially over the last 25 games.
In his four games as a starter, Jalen Duren has posted 8.8 points, 14.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. League leading rebounder Rudy Gobert averages just over 12 rebounds per game, so it shows just how impressive this stretch has been.
Even more surprising, and even more impressive is the fact that Duren is getting over an assist per game as a starter, flashing the ability to pass out of the short roll that is well ahead of schedule for a guy who only recently turned 19-years-old.
This recent stretch by Duren has put him in some elite company for teenagers.
Detroit Pistons: Jalen Duren has a chance to make NBA history on the boards
According to ESPN stats, Jalen Duren became the first teenager since Dwight Howard to have a run of games like this on the boards:
Jalen Duren is the 1st teenager with 12 or more rebounds in five consecutive games since Dwight Howard in 2005. pic.twitter.com/gTx3nsL3Cz
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 17, 2022
This is not something Howard achieved as a rookie as he was in his second season before he ever had a five-game stretch of 12 or more rebounds per game.
Coming into the season, it was rookie Jaden Ivey that has been getting all of the hype, but his recent slump, coupled with the emergence of Duren as a dominant force on the boards, has it looking like Duren might be the steal of the 2022 NBA Draft.