Last season, Jalen Duren might have flown a little under the sports world’s radar. But the Detroit Pistons’ new 6-foot-11 big man made his mark as one of the NBA’s most promising rising stars.

Going into his second season with the Pistons, he’s poised to make a bigger impact in a game that seems to be increasingly influenced if not dominated by big men in the center of the action.

Last month I got to interview Duren, and found that Detroit’s versatile young center has a sense of urgency about getting the Pistons back to the postseason. He spoke first about his mindset, coming onto a team with a history as one of the NBA’s great franchises.

“Coming in, my mindset was really just to try to add to the team,” Duren said via Zoom, in mid-August. “Also, (I want to) keep doing what I can to keep us rebuilding this team.”

Duren ended his rookie season averaging a healthy 9.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, while starting 31 games.

“Through year one,” Duren added, “I did what I could to the best of my abilities—and the rest is history.”

It’s no secret that the Pistons are in what some might call a painstaking rebuild. Last season, Detroit logged only 17 wins in the 82-game NBA season, and one which put them out of playoff contention early. The Pistons also posted the worst record in the NBA.

Still, Duren’s impact on the franchise was felt immediately. For his efforts, Duren was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

When asked about his transition from one of the top college teams in the American Athletic Conference (AAC), he said that stepping into the NBA isn’t exactly like playing East Carolina and VCU.

“It was definitely an adjustment, I’d be lying if I say it wasn’t,” Duren said. “It was a lot of just figuring out my role with the team and doing what they wanted me to do.”

Duren said he learned that being instrumental in the first year of your NBA career is about balancing ambition with what’s happening real-time on the floor.

“The first year, you want to contribute. But make sure you don’t try to do too much.”

In his single year playing for the University of Memphis during the 2021-22 season, Duren averaged a solid 12 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He also nabbed 2.1 blocks per game.

Under ex-NBA star and Olympic gold medalist Penny Hardaway, head coach at Memphis, Duren was key in the Tigers’ return to the NCAA Tournament. He was selected with the 13th overall pick in the first round by the Charlotte Hornets, but he ended up starting his professional career with the Pistons.

Duren described playing under Hardaway, one of the 1990s’ most exciting players. He hints that Hardaway’s drive and sense of urgency—one that saw him, along with Shaquille O’Neal, take the Orlando Magic to the 1994-95 NBA Finals—is paramount to his success as a coach.

“Penny has a knack for the game. He’s one of the best players to play this game. Even after his injuries; just the mindset and how he approached the game of basketball, how serious he takes it—that, I think, made him who he was.”

Since taking over Memphis at the beginning of the 2018-19 season Hardaway’s Tigers have won at least 20 games each season. The Memphis Tigers were also crowned champions of the 2020-21 postseason’s NIT Tournament.

“My original decision to choose Memphis has to do with (Hardaway’s) knowledge of the game. I feel like my time there was great—to get that kind of NBA knowledge before (playing in the NBA) was useful for me going in.”

After his first year at Memphis Duren was named the AAC’s Freshman Player of the Year. Duren then declared for the 2022 NBA Draft.

Big Man on and off the court

While Duren’s impact on the Pistons franchise was felt immediately, he’s also someone who is driven to make an impact on his community.

Born in Delaware, Duren spent his youth in the Sharon Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia.

After spending his first two high school seasons at Roman, Duren would eventually leave Philly and transfer to a national powerhouse school—Montverde Academy in Florida—for his junior and senior seasons.

Before making his high school team at The Roman Catholic High School of Philadelphia in Center City, and then joining Monteverde Academy for his final two high school seasons, Duren sharpened his fundamentals playing in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit and elsewhere.

Now he’s made a move to keep basketball accessible for youth in his hometown. Duren by becoming an investor and financial backer of Team Final, which is part of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL).

“I try to bring (basketball) back to the community, getting kids involved during the summer, before they’re ready to go back to school.” Duren added that he “came up with Team Final” since middle school and it was a big part of his personal development.

It started when Duren reconnected with Team Final coaching staff and organization owner Rob Brown, to get involved. Since then, he’s spent part of his summer as a resource to the team.

“We had had a lot of great guys and a great run this summer.”

In the mix, Team Final honored Duren by wearing his name on their uniforms, while also planning a “Jalen Duren Day” community event.

Team Final has produced over 100 NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 players since 1996, and it has had 14 of its alumni, including Duren, drafted into the NBA.

When asked about his Pistons role as a returning veteran, Duren said it’s about excelling as a team.

“I feel like this year, we’re coming back and it’s a whole different team. We have a new coaching staff in Monty Williams. We got some guys in free agency, some guys in the draft, some rookies.”

New recruits are one thing, but Duren says Detroit has a certain ethic at work.

“We have a lot of great pieces and we’re definitely building. But we’re keeping the same Detroit Pistons hustle mentality.”