Detroit Pistons: Pleasant surprises and disappointments from 2022-23
By Jon Kloss
Detroit Pistons’ pleasant surprise: Jalen Duren’s long-term potential
Jalen Duren was acquired by the Detroit Pistons last offseason in a trade with the New York Knicks. The Pistons used the first round pick they acquired in the Jerami Grant trade to acquire the big man with pick number 13 in the 2022 NBA draft.
Jalen Duren was the youngest player in the NBA Draft and was a very raw NBA prospect. Although he has a lot of developing to do, Duren already has some NBA skills that will make him an impact player for a long time.
Duren averaged 9.1 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game as a rookie, drawing comparisons to Andre Drummond and even Dwight Howard. Duren was thrown into the fire in his rookie season, starting 31 games as a 19-year-old. While he needs to develop some sort of jumper, Jalen Duren’s rookie season was a huge success and gives fans hope for the future.