Jalen Duren: 6'10" 245 lbs

Jalen Duren is a physical force who epitomizes modern basketball's infatuation with mobile big men. Duren has an NBA ready body at 18 years old and thrives as a rim-roller and shot blocker who has a 7'5" wingspan and unteachable hip flexibility and agility for a man of his stature. Duren is a vacuum who catches everything on offense and defense who plays extremely hard every play.

Strengths:

• Freak athlete who has great hands and a motor.

• Protects the rim at a high level and is able to slide on the perimeter with guards.

• Runs like a deer in transition.

• Scores baskets near the basket, playing within himself and displayed improving post moves on the low block.

• Creates space on seals and rolls well.

• Attempts to dunk everything and is aggressive on the glass.

Concerns:

• Raw offensive skillset.

• Can be foul prone due to the belief he can block everything.

• Solely finishes with his right hand on the blocks.

• Must develop shooting range and touch a little to maximize his offensive ability. (62.5% ft%).

• Can Duren become a threat to use speed to beat opposing bigs via face-ups? Shooting will have to improve to do so and become a more viable option on short rolls.

Jalen Duren has an Adonis like body that is reminiscent of Dwight Howard and Bam Adebayo. Adebayo is a common comparison with the drawback that Bam passes and shoots better than Duren. However, Bam did not display that at Kentucky on an excellent team. That to me makes the prospect of picking Duren even more enticing and even if he does not develop into the passer bam is he can be a rim protecting menace who can slide on the perimeter and offers upside as a rim roller with elite vertical athleticism. Duren has all star upside and few glaring weaknesses but must cultivate his innate gifts to reach the high expectations many have set for him.

The Rundown: Based on what I saw at the start of the year, I never thought that I would get to this point with Jalen Duren. I never like anticipating the failure of prospects; there is nothing that I like more than to be proven wrong in my underestimation of a player. It felt like Duren would simply be next in line in the high-level high school prospects that are overrated in their NBA projection due to their freakish athleticism, in spite of their subpar collegiate performance. However, Duren’s in-season development is something legitimately remarkable and has caused me to have a complete 180 on my position on him. He came into the year and the processing speed was legitimately so concerning, always being a few steps late on making reads for himself and for his teammates. Throughout the year though you can see his understanding of the game growing at an exponential rate, and as his understanding grows his application and practical use of his physical tools become more tangible. I have seen some people that I greatly respect and admire have Duren in their top 5, which I cannot currently get behind, but their vouches of confidence combined with the obvious improvement I have seen make it impossible to leave him out of my top 20 any longer.

One of the main reasons that I can’t have Duren as high as on some of the boards that I have seen is a grievance that must be expressed now for the sake of the rest of the write up making sense; there is NO WORLD where Jalen Duren is 6’11. I have watched Memphis games where they label Jalen as “The Tigers 7 footer” and that is simply bewildering to me. The tallest that I can realistically imagine for Duren is 6’9. A strong, long 6’9 for sure, but if he is 6’11 then Josh Minott is 6’11 and THAT adds a whole new wrinkle to this whole thing. He doesn’t always routinely look shorter than the other centers he is tasked with going up against because of the relatively low competition level of the American Conference, but when he is standing next to Malcolm Dandridge, the 6’9 center coming off the bench, the height difference is definitely minuscule. I’m not going to pretend that his other physical traits don’t somewhat make up for the lack of height, but the upside deficiency that is a symptom of the 2-3 perceived inches that I am proposing he does not actually have does come back to bite him when you’re looking at him as a high level lottery prospect.

Enough with the negativity though, no better way to make this write up an emotional roller coaster than to go from his height to his athleticism. Many times, mainstream draft media has a terrible misunderstanding of “athleticism”. Let me make this abundantly clear… COOL DUNKS DO NOT EQUAL GOOD ATHLETE. GOOD SPRINTS DO NOT EQUAL GOOD ATHLETE. Let me also make this abundantly clear… JALEN DUREN EQUAL GOOD ATHLETE. Good athlete is definitely understating it as well, I am not being hyperbolic when I say that Duren is like a top 5 big man athlete in the league the second he signs his rookie contract (Kai Jones is one of those 5 as well guys don’t even worry about that). What I love about Duren is how he excels in the obvious and highlight worthy feats of athleticism, while being versatile enough in his physicality that the more traditionally overlooked and functional aspects of his athleticism are not neglected. Obviously, his vertical athleticism is stupendous. He absolutely soars for blocks and alley oops, with a catch radius that is simply unheard of when combined with his rather intimidating wingspan. I do not say this lightly but Duren will require scheming around by the opposing coach on both ends of the floor purely due to his vertical explosion; there are shots near the rim that open and available against most centers that will not be open when playing against Duren, there are pick and roll schemes that will prove futile when the new variable of his insane lob radius is added to the equation. Of course there are different levels of “scheming around” a player, but the very nature of its existence is worth something even if it isn’t to the level of a Lebron or a Curry. The second obvious piece of Duren athleticism that lives in highlight reels is his sprinting ability, he can absolutely BOOK IT from end to end, opening up entirely new transition gameplans for whatever coach is lucky enough to have Duren come into training camp later this year. He requires a bit of time for acceleration but compared to other centers it’s quite solid, and when he gets running his combination of stride length and an unadulterated desire to destroy either the rim or an opponent's shot leads to some WOAH moments that are almost unholy. However, while these moments are impossible to be ignored when scouting Duren, the athleticism that I really value coming from him are distinctly different but also inseparable when you get to their roots. Duren is one of the greatest jumpers I have seen in a long time, and this goes beyond his vertical, and hinges on his ability to get off the ground so quickly. Mark Williams is a solid vertical athlete but I can go up and get a drink during his jump load up, which is not the case for Duren. This applies to both his first and second jumps, making him an excellent lob threat, rebounding, and shot blocking prospect. Even if his processing speed is a step slow at the moment, he is already viable at the next level because that step is made up for due to his otherworldly quick leaping abilities. When his processing catches up to his athleticism, it is officially a scary time for anyone wanting to venture into the Paint of Duren. Another piece of his athleticism that I am in love with is his coordination. Shot blocking and lob catching is built on two main parts of the body; the legs and the hands. He already has the load up and jump perfect, so the next step is actually making an impact with the basketball. His long wingspan combined with his coordination allows him to always be a threat of making a play on the ball, and we haven’t even gotten to his timing yet. I also quite like his fluidity for someone that weight, it gives him a lot of short roll upside at the next level because the Kyle Lowry’s and Jaylin William’s of the world are ready to feast on Duren coming rumbling down the key; he needs to be able to evade them and he does at a pretty high level. It is kind of shocking to see some of the times because a man that large should not have that sort of ability to move his feet on short notice. I don’t love his lateral quickness when placed on the perimeter, although I do think sometimes people forget that lateral quickness also includes sliding around the post where I think he excels. I don’t think it’s terrible either, and part of it is due to him being really jumpy at ball handlers and I think some of that will go away with time and experience; however, never expect him to be your team's Bam Adebayo. On the whole, Duren is a dominating athlete, with athleticism that permeates through each and every part of his game and gives him a level to reach that other players can dream of (probably in the locker room, after being knocked out cold by one of his elbows).

Athleticism isn’t the only reason that Duren has snaked his way up my board; I knew about the athleticism beforehand, it was everything else that previously had me a bit worried. One part of his game that I am really quite enamored with is the passing, which is SHOCKING considering how low I was on it earlier in the year. For a bit of a before and after, it was obvious that Duren was sped up by the college game at the start of the season; he saw the reads in time, but too late for any advantages to be created by that vision. He sometimes forced passes into holes that no one could thread, and he had a ton of trouble reading the second line of defense, sometimes throwing the ball to a guy that is so obviously not open for anyone that understands some of the intricacies of help defense. This low processing speed made his athleticism basically useless; he was too slow with his reactions to get out of the way of the Jaylin-Williams of the world, making his fluidity useless. However, you could see it change throughout the year, and it was most apparent with his passing abilities. This is a bit of a random comparison, but I got a lot of Karl Malone when watching Duren’s passing. What made John and Karl one of the greatest pick and roll duos of all time? It was a combination of things, of course, but every great roller goes beyond run-dunk and becomes a legitimate threat as a passer. Karl was such an accurate dimer, and it unlocked the entire Utah Jazz offense, and that was before short roll passing had reached it’s current apex in utility; with additional shooters around him I can only imagine his effectiveness. Duren flashes real manipulation in the short roll, quickly understanding the advantages he has created and playing the defense like a violin to get an open look for either the man in the dunker's spot or the corner. His accuracy is also kind of astounding, and when the game was slow enough for him early in the year (maybe in a set play) that flashed as well. When he is set up anywhere on the court, and given the opportunity to read the play, he makes great reads and timely passes, be it a flick to a cutter or a cross court skip to an open shooter. This is what separates good rollers from great ones; there is only so much damage a 2 man game can do, the defense can key in on one of those guys and essentially ruin the play. A roller that can pass makes it a 5 man game, and requires the pick and roll to be played straight up. I liked his ability to go over the top and hit another big when he happened to play with one, I don’t know how much that translates to the NBA but it is a micro skill to note if he gets paired up with a mismatch demon at some point in his career. Another way his passing connects to Karl Malone is how accurate he is in post up situations. Watch any Jazz game from the late 90s and you will see an exorbitant amount of plays that are simply “Give Karl the ball on the block, and cut for 12 seconds until he finds the pass that leads directly to an open layup”, and his over the shoulder or quick bounce passes were honestly something to behold. Duren isn’t quite to that level yet, and doesn’t have near the same gravity as a post up threat, but when he was on his game he showed the willingness to be a legitimate post up hub at the next level because his eyes are almost always up and his throws are almost always accurate. Of course, his passing is almost all situational and it optimized when it is schemed; when the play falls apart, a lot of his passing does as well. No one take this as some call for Duren to be a point forward, he can simply make the passes he will be asked to at the next level at a higher level than most of his peers.

His shooting is not something I am the highest on however, and a lot of that centers on his touch. I think I’ll start by saying that I believe he will at some point be respectable in the short midrange, but anything beyond that will not be feasible, and I’ll explain that now. His touch is pretty horrid, which is weird when considering his passing touch is exceptional. He has a similar problem as Mark Williams, where he can really only go hard when he is around the rim, there is no other gear. Not to make this comparison because it is frankly rather unfair but just as a common name that is easy to understand, think of Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq could go HARD better than anyone in NBA history, but Shaq also had such exceptional touch when going hard wasn’t a viable option. Not having that touch limits functionality as a post scorer, and it is (one of) the reason that the physical marvel that is Duren only scored 12 points per game against the American League (it also doesn’t help that his footwork in the post is a little iffy at the moment, but the bigger reason is that he didn’t have a point guard, he was maybe the best passer on his team the last month of the season). This shows up in his free throw shooting as well, where his percentage was middling. However, this is when it gets tricky to evaluate his shooting. He had moments where he was knocking down rather high difficulty mid range, face up jump shots, and it becomes time to deduce whether to trust the indicators or the actual on court production. I have decided to come together somewhere in the middle. I think at some point he will be able to pop out to a mid range shot, and when open, will be able to hit that shot at a reasonably high clip. I do not think he will ever be shooting long mid range shots, or three pointers for that matter. At the end of the day though, I think that short mid range is all he will ever really need to optimize himself as a roller. A great roller is great at four things: screening, short roll passing, some form of a mid range jump shot, and finishing. Duren is GREAT at 3 of those things, and good at the last one with some reason for hope. I am very confident in Duren’s ability to be one of the best rollers in the league.

At the end of the day, defense is how these types of big men will make their money, because no matter what anyone says, interior defense is still one of the top 3 most important things for an NBA team to have at a high level. I like a lot of what I saw from Duren, didn’t like some of it, and love a lot of the stuff that I didn’t see…yet. First, we have to understand that Duren is a master at timing his jumps (just talking about the defense here, but his timing on alley oops, put backs, and passes are also exceptional; shows a high feel player), a luxury when you understand that he doesn’t need to time his jumps when you have a vertical like he does. It is terrifying to watch the ground Duren can cover; he has completely optimized his length and vertical to create the largest block radius possible, and it is something that cannot be taught. I wasn’t all the way there on a lot of his positioning and feel on defense, but it did feel like a lot of what was caused by inexperience that will go away with time, and when you consider the inherent leg up that he has on his competition it is hard not to be high on his defensive outlook. Duren is very jumpy at the moment, eager to use his vertical to destroy opposing shots when those shots aren’t even shots yet. A good, well timed pump fake does a lot of damage, but less so to Duren than another young, inexperienced big because of his excellent wingspan, strength (he won’t give up his prime position, no matter how much the offensive player wants it), and second jumping ability, he is a natural at great recovery plays. His drop defense isn’t without it’s warts, sometimes he over commits to one of the two offensive players, he often seems to make unnecessary movements that he fixes due to his great athleticism but will be punished at the next level. His switch defense is good, but not great, but a lot of the problems seem to be due to footwork errors that are more easily worked out than lateral quickness deficits. Take Rudy Gobert, for instance. Rudy isn’t the quickest lateral player, neither is Jalen. However, Rudy has an advanced understanding of his tools and how to use them, combined with his great footwork, to make up for his loss laterally in some matchups. Duren is superior to Gobert when you just view his physical tools as a perimeter defender, around the same laterally and a bit shorter but faster in a sprint and more fluid, so I think that his future coach will have a few options when deciding what pick and roll coverage to deploy. Of course, it isn’t fair to compare anyone to Gobert, he had a bizarre developmental path, but that path is moreso an option for Duren than anyone else, even if he doesn’t reach the astronomical defensive IQ and footwork heights that Rudy has reached in recent years. The flashes are there though. Flashes of great understanding, excellent timing, perfect utilization of bizarre God-Given gifts, and solid technique. I buy Duren to be a clear positive defender at the next level because of those flashes and those physical gifts.

There are a lot of player that seem like Duren on the surface, so what makes him different? He isn’t good at handling, he doesn’t have great touch, he’s a little short, why is he in your lottery but Charles Bassey was a second rounder last year? Because of all the things that Duren CAN do, with time. The flashes were almost pervasive, overwhelming in about every single aspect of his game. Normal rim runners can’t pass like that, normal rim runners can’t jump like that, normal rim runners aren’t strong like that, normal rim runners don’t have that motor, normal rim runners don’t have that tangible in season improvement, normal rim runners are… normal. Jalen Duren is a lot of things… but he isn’t normal. That lack of normality is what makes me confident in picking Jalen Duren to come out victorious in the center gamble that is so prominent in every single draft. We must discover what skills are necessary for a center to have to become that step above, what separates the Goberts from the Javales. It is a tricky and inexact science, but when in doubt, bet on not normal.

THE SYNOPSIS:

A freaky functional athlete in every sense of the word, Duren is overwhelming on the court. Great and improving short roll passer, he has all the tools to be one of the best rollers in the league. Iffy awareness and technique on defense is beat by his dominating tools and flashes. Duren has what it takes to rise above the mean as a center prospect

SHADES OF:

A sliver of Rudy Gobert, ONLY BAMS PASSING AND VERTICAL PRESENCE, a young Dwight Howard, Rob Will, young D-Favs

Defensively, he is a beast in the paint. He uses his bulky frame to bully guys around the basket. His sheer muscle gives him a huge edge over his competitors. His long arms make it easy for him to block shots. His height gets in the way of offenders and stops them from finishing easily Offensively, he can look a bit lost at times. He can become easily distracted. He doesn't always play in control and his offensive rebounding can become streaky at times. Yet, he is a big time lob target and can finish above the basket with ease. He can jump extremely high and dunking is no shortcoming of his. Duren's jumper is very smooth and he can no doubt become one of the top big man shooters. With enough development he will definitely become a top 5 center in the NBA. His passing is nice and still has time to grow. At 18, Duren is still very young. Overall, he certainly has bust potential. However, the good outweighs the bad by a wide margin. He will be a lottery pick based on his powerful frame alone.

Comparison: Richaun Holmes

Projected Draft Range: 7-15

Best Team Fits: OKC, San Antonio, Washington

Height 6'11

Weight 250 lbs

Wingspan 7'5

DOB 11/18/03 (Draft Age:18)

Pre-Draft Team Memphis Tigers

Offense

• Super mobile for his size. Likes to get out and run.

• Dunker spot guy. Can throw him oops anytime.

• Already gets himself to the line at a good rate, should improve.

• 55 FT%, huge area for improvement. No range.

• Active, bouncy, fun offensive player who is just starting to scratch the offensive potential surface.

• Activity makes him a menace on the offensive glass. Will have his share of second chance points and putbacks.

Defense

• Monster defensive presence with length and leaping abilities.

• Good defensive rebounder.

• Will meet you at the rim and stay vertical. Potential to be a true defensive anchor.

Swing Factors

Role

• LOW:

• HIGH:

Ranking Scale:

Athleticism: 5/8

3pt shot: 1/10

Finishing: 7/10

Handle: 4/10

Playmaking: 4/8

Defensive Versatility: 5/10

Defensive Positioning: 7/8

Rebounding: 6/6

NBA Fit: 7/10

Total Score: 47/80

Tier 2

Floor: Starting center

Bullseye: Top 15 center in NBA, tier below all-star level, tier below all-defense

Ceiling: Top 4 player on championship team, top 10 center in NBA, fringe all star, fringe all-defense

OFFENSE

Pass - Grade: 77

Notes: Duren showed he has an understanding of where the defense is going to rotate and where he is teammates are on the floor, but his decision making and execution were all over the place but progressed very well over the course of the season. Duren is really, really young and played in a system that was very chaotic. At around the season's halfway point, Duren's decision making began to appear to be largely predetermined. Duren passed as if he had decided where he was going to pass prior to even receiving the ball, and partially ignoring what the read should be based on the defense. This resulted in a mixed bag, as Duren still made the right read a lot of the time resulting in a solid sample size of encouraging short-roll passing. The mixed-bag also resulted in a lot of turnovers and poor, mistimed passes into closed/closing windows. At the start of the season, Duren would freeze in playmaking situations and miss open shooters and cutters entirely. His quick progression in this complicated area bodes very well for his projection of his passing development in the NBA. Duren always passed out of doubles quickly and efficiently, his on court mapping was always solid even if his decision making and deliveries struggled. Duren is certainly far from a consistent short-roll passer. Duren's timing/understanding of passing windows in 4 on 3 and 3 on 2 situations were poor in many instances, but Duren understood the passes he needed to make his delivery and execution are just not at the level they need to be yet. Duren's passing is not fluid or dynamic, but he has shown that he could possibly get there one day. His single season progression in this area is incredibly encouraging. Duren will be just 18 at the start of his rookie year. His passing ability for a center that is also an American AAU baby is at a higher level than it probably should be. Duren has a legitimate chance to offer short-roll and maybe even high post passing. Duren has displayed solid touch on his passes. Duren has shown he is a skilled passer from a standstill, displaying his ability to lead guys to spot on their cuts/relocations. Very comfortable passing with his back to the basket, less so when facing up in the post. Duren has a high passing/decision making floor for a player in his role.

Dribble - Grade: 55

Notes: Duren has no real handle. Can't push the break, no functional handle. His dribbling ability/use is limited to gather/power dribbles, with no real signs that suggest it will be expanded beyond that.

3pt shooting - Grade: 55

Notes: Duren went 0/1 on threes this season. 3 point shooting is not a part of Duren's game and likely never will be. Duren has displayed solid shooting mechanics, but has touch issues and shot just 62.5% from the line this season. Nothing suggests Duren will be able to ever actually expand his range.

Mid-range shooting - Grade: 67

Notes: Duren shot mid-range jumpers willingly. Duren often shot them without hesitation. Duren took most of them when facing up in the post. Duren shot a poor 17/51 (33%) on these jumpers, most of them coming from the corners. Duren has taken these mid-range jumpers throughout his career, HS and college. Duren's makes always offer hope, and the mechanics are solid and the touch looks good at times. His shot selection from the mid-range isn't great, and NBA teams aren't going to want him to settle for these shots especially if he's shooting at clip in the 30s.

Finishing - Grade: 83

Notes: Duren is an absolutely monster dunker. Duren will be one of the best lob finishers in the NBA from day 1. His vertical + length + coordination give him a preposterous catch radius. If the ball is thrown in Duren's general direction, he has a very high chance of finishing the lob. Duren is also great at running the floor and setting himself up for lobs. Duren's good at creating dunk opportunities for himself off the ground too. Duren gains solid positioning to rise up and finish due to his brute strength and solid footwork. Duren has great timing on his flashes and dives, and is a ruthless dunker with a head of steam towards the rim. Duren also has the luxury of rising up from further out than most due to his elite vertical. Duren nearly breaks the rim on his dunks, he is the definition of a grown man dunker. Duren rises over opposing 5s and dunks on them on a regular basis. Duren is very good at maneuvering out of the dunker's spot and finding seems in the defense to where his teammates can find him for easy dunks. Duren is great at dunking the ball, and putting himself in position to dunk the ball in and is versatile in doing so. Duren's non-dunk finishing is a big issue for him. Duren has no go-to non-dunk finishes. Duren has poor touch, and is awkward in his finishing. Duren has a few routine post moves that he's comfortable finishing out of, but these are looks that he will not get nearly as often in the NBA. Duren blows a lot of chippies. Duren relies solely on his bounce/power as a finisher right now, which is not going to suffice in the NBA. Duren needs to improve his poise, timing, shot-fakes, and left hand in his non-dunk finishing. This should be one of the top priorities in Duren's player development.

Off-ball playmaking - Grade: 88

Notes: Duren is very useful off-ball. Screen setting improved drastically throughout the course of the season, and makes great reads on his screens. Duren is a phenomenal rim runner. Duren didn't show much a sealer, but has the physical build to be a good sealer and has shown that he is more than capable of learning skills like this. Duren does little things and is very physical. Duren is a good at relocating to ease his teammates drives, and has great timing as a cutter and in the dunker's spot. Duren has good instincts off-ball and projects to be a very good off-ball big.

Offensive rebounding - Grade: 92

Notes: Duren averaged 3.0 offensive rebounds per game and sported a 14% ORB. The eye test is just as good if not better than the numbers. Duren's got a great motor, has good timing, great coordination, maximizes his length and vertical, and has a great blend of physicality and finesse in his offensive crashes. This should translate very well to the NBA level. Duren has the potential to be elite an elite Kobe assist finisher. Duren's put-back ability makes his offensive rebounding even more valuable. Duren crashes the glass relentlessly, and is already great at it with room to get even better. Duren benefits from being a weaver/timer as an offensive rebounder, and not having to find a man to box out. Duren is physical and gains good positioning, but finding his man to box-out rather than focusing on the ball is a struggle for him and is why he's a much better offensive rebounder than defensive.

Offensive Summary: 82

Duren is a valuable offensive player, but will never be a high volume offensive player. Duren projects to be a really solid PnR big, with a high ceiling if he can become a reliable passer and finisher out of the short roll. Duren's rim running and dunking ability will be valuable from day 1. Duren maximizes his ability as a dunker and rim runner by cutting on hard on defenses that sag off him on the perimeter and finding seems in the defense. Duren doesn't have great standstill still footwork, but his footwork on his movement gathers is very encouraging. Duren can catch the ball on 3 point line as the trailer, take 0 dribbles, and euro into a dunk - he's that level of athlete and finisher. Duren will provide value as a screener, sealer, and offensive rebounder. He will be one of the best lob threats in the league immediately. Duren will never be an isolation player, but is a good enough post player to punish defenses if they go small. Duren cannot be guarded by big wings, and this is why he projects to be a valuable offensive player in the postseason. Duren's motor, athleticism, strength, and physicality provide a lot of tools for the team that selects him to work with. Duren showed that he is very coachable at Memphis, and projects to improve at the important little things quickly because of this and that matters greatly for young athletic bigs. Duren is incredibly young, will be 18 on opening night. Duren's IQ, court mapping, feel, and offensive positioning are high for an American center that grew up in the AAU circuit. Duren offers a very nice floor on offense, with an enticing ceiling that has proven to be realistic if you aren't counting on him to ever have a reliable jumper. Duren would excel in a Clint Capela esque roll, setting high PnRs for an offensive engine. Duren can't space the floor, but his offensive motor with rebounding/rim running paired with his ability to punish wings in the post suggests he will be an impactful, winning player in playoff situations. Having a top 5 athlete at the center position who is more than playable in the playoffs is very valuable.

Defense

Engagement - Grade: 84

Notes: Duren's defensive engagement appeared to be poor at the beginning of the season and at times throughout the rest of the year, but this was mainly due to his awareness issues. Duren's defensive motor also appeared to fluctuate particularly early on in the year, but this improved substantially by the end of the season. Duren was 17 years old at the start of the season, and faced a big defensive adjustment having the be the true anchor of a D1 defense coming off of 2 covid years of AAU basketball. Duren's age was likely a key factor in his engagement issue, not as much his actual will/motor on the defensive end. Duren will have his hands full adjusting to the NBA, but if his improvement rate is similar to his in college than he will be more than fine in this area. Expect Duren to have his fair share of mental lapses on defense early on, but this doesn't appear to be a personality/will/mental issue for him.

Containment - Grade: 80

Notes: Duren's perimeter defense was very hit or miss, but Duren showed a willingness to get out and guard the perimeter in a way that the large majority of bigs aren't willing to. Duren closed out at awkward and angles and was too handsy, often picking up fouls as a perimeter defender. Duren showed he has the potential to beat quicker players to the spot, this is due to his elite stride length. Duren flashed an ability to be an effective recovery defender when he does get beat. Duren's massive and quick lateral strides allow him to quickly recover into position as a help rim protector, this is an immensely valuable skill. Duren showed more than enough to prove is much more on defense than a drop big in the PnR. Duren showed he is more than comfortable defending the PnR up to the level, although he was often too aggressive when he did this and prohibited his ability to recover as a result. These are mental lapses from a 17/18 year old, with a proven athletic ability to perform in these coverages as well as being a proven coachable player - this makes it difficult to overreact to these very fixable mistakes. His lateral movement is so good, it offers so much to work with and him having the athletic tools to become a possible defensive deterrent on quicker perimeter players isn't a bad bet. Duren should be able to at least hold his own well on the majority of switches after he gets a solid amount of reps in, his massive progress in other mental/reps areas of defense suggest he will be able to improve in this area and have an encouraging floor as a perimeter defender. Duren did not just show this on switches, but also closeouts which is even more rare for a big. Duren's got a long way to go to be consistently competent in guarding NBA guards and wings on the perimeter. His willingness to switch/closeout, his phenomenal lateral ability, and his proven ability to improve as a positional defender/being coachable suggest that he will eventually become one of the better switching fives in the NBA.

Team Defense - Grade: 80

Notes: Duren's team defense and defensive positioning improved drastically from the start of the season. Duren's awareness was poor, and had a bunch of instances losing his man because he was too focused on being in the correct position to help. Duren is far from being ready to anchor an NBA defense, but has legitimate potential to get there. His instincts aren't as good as you'd like for them to be, but his positional improvement is very encouraging. His ability to coverage so much and recover so quickly, along with great timing as a shot blocker gives Duren the tools to become a defensive anchor, and also ensures Duren has a high defensive floor. Duren's mental lapses often did not matter due to how absurd he is at recovering/covering so much so quickly. Duren's margin of error as on and off-ball defender is so much larger than almost any other rim protector, offering even more hope that he will be able to become a defensive anchor as he continues to figure it out.

Rim Protection - Grade: 93

Notes: Duren sported a 9.9 BLK% on 2.1 BPG. Duren's shot blocking ability is elite. Duren's ability to teleport is the biggest factor as to why he's an elite shot blocker, and why he was able to be so good despite often being in poor positioning. Duren's massive strides, extreme vertical jumping ability, great body control, 7'5 wingspan, elite coordination, and elite timing allowed for Duren to block shots into the third row when it appeared he was totally out of the play. Duren's victims often look confused following their shots being blocked, as he was nowhere in their line of sight or peripheral vision as they went up on their shot. As Duren's defensive positioning improves and becomes more consistent, he will become one of the most prolific shot blockers in the league.

Playmaking - Grade: 90

Notes: Duren averaged a beastly 2.9 stocks per game. Duren's defensive playmaking is going to stand out much more early on in his career than his actual defensive impact. Duren will get monster blocks every night, but will have his fair share of lapses too. Duren will be a stock monster immediately sheerly because of his natural gifts.

Versatility - Grade: 85

Notes: Duren has a very solid chance of being able to thrive in any PnR scheme. Duren has also proven that he has his struggles with every PnR defensive scheme. Duren had undeniably warts in his drop coverage, blitzes, switches, and everything Memphis tried with him. Duren also proved he had the capability to be at least capable - even dominant in all of these coverages. Duren is going to be a beast PnR defender in any scheme once he gets enough reps in, being semi-consistent in all of them will certainly be an uphill battle. Duren has the physical tools to be one of the most versatile 5s in defensive in the NBA, and has proven to be coachable enough to get there.

Defensive Rebounding - Grade: 78

Notes: Duren's defensive rebounding is a bit of an issue. Duren sells out in his rim protection so often that impacts his rebounding position on an alarming amount of possessions. Duren loses his man on box outs way too much, focusing solely on the ball when a shot goes up. It's unclear is Duren believes his athleticism and length is enough to where he doesn't have to box out, or he just has mental lapses in this area often. It is likely a mixture of both. Duren's eagerness to leave his feet on defense and sell out completely on shot contests is something that will be tamed as his career goes on, but may plague him early on. Duren would benefit playing alongside plus rebounding wings. Duren clearly is more than capable of becoming a very good defensive rebounder, it is simply another area where his lack of experience and mental lapses come into play.

Defensive Summary: 85

Duren projects to be an awesome defensive 5, with both a high floor and high ceiling. Duren's combination of vertical and lateral athleticism is very rare, and that paired with his frame, strength, and length is extremely rare. Duren's mental processing of the game is certainly a work in progress, but for a player who will be 18 on opening night and has just 29 college games under his belt after two years of Covid AAU basketball his mental processing is at a perfectly acceptable place. He's not a basketball savant, but he showed real, dramatic improvement in his mental processing, decision making, positioning, engagement, and awareness as his season progressed. Duren will be a stocks machine immediately. Early on in his career Duren will sell out for blocks, lose his man, get caught ball watching, miss box outs, blow PnR coverages, and do a ton of things that will displease his staff. His season at Memphis suggests that Duren has an aptitude for learning from his mistakes, and improving in the mental areas of the game quickly. Duren's motor is better than advertised, his basketball brain is just not developed to the point of commanding or being consistent in an NBA defense yet. This shouldn't be a knock on Duren considering his age, it is safe to say Duren is actually ahead of schedule in his processing. Duren will likely become good to great in every PnR coverage. Duren has shown he is capable of guarding perimeter plays, with a lot of signs pointing to a strong possibility of him being one of the best perimeter defending 5s in the NBA. Duren is far from being able to switch 1-5 yet. Duren has shown he is willing and has the ability to not just switch, but closeout and stay with perimeter players. Duren's positioning and decision making when defending the perimeter are what needs work. He often overplays his hand, pressing up too far. Duren defends at awkward angles and cuts off his defender on the drive too soon, resulting in a foul. Duren uses his hands too much when defending on the perimeter, also resulting in fouls. Duren has shown that he is already a good/capable recovery defender when does get beat on the perimeter, which is a great and important quality for a player showing his willingness to guard out there and who will likely get beat regularly as he gets his necessary reps. Duren will become an elite rim protector, there is no way around it. Duren's shot blocking will be there from day 1, and his defensive lapses and sellouts will steadily decline as his shot blocking and rotation timing continue to improve. Duren's physical abilities could've been tailor made to be a modern NBA defensive 5, his brain just needs to catch up to his body before he can be one of the best defensive centers in the NBA. There is a chance he may never get there, and there is a chance it takes way longer than his future team would like it to. It be incredibly beneficial to Duren's career for him to land in a good situation with a good player development staff. Duren's staff will need to be patient with him and understand that there will be a learning curve.

Measurables: 96

No official combine measurements

Height: 6'11

Weight: 250

Wingspan: 7'5

Amazing frame/width

Functional Athleticism: 97

Elite vertical

Elite stride length

Great lateral mobility

Great lateral quickness

Great open court speed

Great explosiveness

Good burst

I personally don't think Duren is a good basketball player. But I do see the crazy athletic tools and understand the potential so I think end of the lottery is okay for him. Very variable range of potential outcomes. Needs to be given a lot of time to develop because he is extremely raw.

Best fits: any team that isn't expecting him to be a contributor right away. Which pretty much leaves OKC I think. He could go to one of the teams that have multiple first round picks if they trade up. Could be ok in San Antonio, Houston too. Just don't expect him to do anything his first year.

Player analysis

Jalen Duren is another mystery player who is difficult to project when it comes to translation into the league, it is easy to see him as a mobile shot blocker and lob threat who can get a bucket through his sheer size along with post moves but it is difficult to see how productive he will actually be. Duren was a high school junior only a year ago until reclassifying along with fellow Memphis teammate, Emoji Bates, where he was the leading scorer for an up and down team. The roster was disappointing many when it came to wins for a majority of the season until Bates suffered an injury with about a month left of the season, in the last month Jalen really thrived with better spacing and more time with the ball in his hands with the team also performing far better. Duren did not look the part of a high schooler especially when it comes to size because he weighs in at 6’10, 250, with a 7’4 wingspan, he used his physical skills to bully other players and score. Jalen does have problems with fundamentals but he has mobility that makes him look really smooth for a big man, Duren continued to implement skills like post hooks, fadeaways, and put backs throughout the season in order to deepen his skillset. Jalen is still very raw but any team looking for a project big man should look to draft because of his all star upside and his floor as at least a solid and physical post presence.

Projections

Draft range: [ 7 - 13 ]

Comp: [ Magic Dwight Howard lite ]

Strengths: Defense and Lob Threat Weaknesses: IQ and Creating Offense

High Side Projection: Robert Williams Low Side Projection: Bismack Biyombo

Role: Lob Threat and Roll Man and Defensive Center

Draft Range: 9-20

Result: 13- DET

Athleticism: 9/10 Size: 5/5 Defense: 8/10 Strength: 4/5 Quickness: 7/10 Creation: 2/5 Jumpshot: 4/10 Finishing: 4/5 NBA Ready: 4/5 Ball Handling: 3/10 Passing: 6/10 Intangibles: 3/5 Potential: 9/10 TOTAL: 68/100: Mid/Late Lottery