Jalen Duren was scoreless in Pistons’ win over Sixers, but is still ‘scratching the surface’ of his potential
Sharon Hill native Duren played 10 minutes and grabbed six rebounds. "He’s not even 21 yet. He still has so much more room to grow," said DJ Irving, one of Duren's former coaches at Roman Catholic.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/6KLQHI57XFB6RLSRRVBTIFWWPY.jpg)
DJ Irving wasn’t about to trust his eyes. Clearly they had proven untrustworthy.
Still, had his ears failed him, too?
It was 2018 and Irving, now an assistant coach at the University of Miami, had just joined the coaching staff at Roman Catholic.
And he could have sworn someone said the wiry, 6-foot-9 kid galloping down court, swatting shots, and dunking with disdain for the rim was a freshman.
“Honestly,” Irving said with a laugh during a phone interview Wednesday, “I thought Matt Griffin, the head coach, was trying to pull a fast one. I’m like, ‘Matt, there’s no way this kid is 14. You can let me in on the secret if you’re trying to get an older guy through.’”
» READ MORE: Tobias Harris scores 18 in return to Philly, leads lowly Detroit Pistons to victory over Sixers
About six years later, 6-foot-11 Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren’s size, skill, and tenacity — just as they did while he battled big-name recruits as a freshman at Roman — still belie his age.
His performance Wednesday night, however, might cause Detroit fans to pause.
First-year Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Duren has anchored Detroit’s defense well, but added that his energy is required on both ends.
Sharon Hill native Duren finished with zero points, six rebounds, and didn’t attempt a shot in 10 minutes of action before fouling out with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter of Detroit’s 105-95 victory.
But if Pistons fans have questions about Duren, who won’t turn 21 until November, folks in the Philly-area seem to have answers.
”What you see now is everything that [Duren] worked for,” said Irving, who was a star guard for Archbishop Carroll and Boston University. “And he still has so much more to show in his game. He’s just scratching the surface of how good he’s going to be.”
No scratches occurred inside the champagne-colored Chevy Malibu that Irving, a Chester native, used to shuttle Duren, who lived in nearby Delaware, to workouts.
”Any time he would get out,” Irving said, “the next person that would get in the car would be all the way back, but he fit pretty well.”
» READ MORE: Paul Reed ‘felt some type of way’ about leaving Sixers, but is ready to turn the page with Detroit Pistons
On the court, Duren’s blend of size, skill, and aggression afforded a similar fit.
In one of his first high school games, Duren faced DeMatha Catholic’s Hunter Dickinson, who was then a nationally-known 7-foot junior. Now Dickinson is an All-American at Kansas.
That matchup, though, is when current Roman assistant coach Kyle Bernard knew Duren was different.
”Obviously we knew he was very, very good,” Bernard, who is still an assistant at Roman said via phone, “but this was super special going against a guy like Hunter Dickerson.”
The Cahillites lost to DeMatha, but Duren finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
”I would say that [Duren] outplayed [Dickinson],” Bernard added. “He outran him; got up and down the floor.”
About a week later, Duren dominated perennial Public League power Imhotep Charter, finishing with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and several emphatic dunks en route to victory.
Duren also helped the Cahillites beat La Salle in the Catholic League championship that season.
According to Irving, however, Duren’s dominance the following season at Roman Catholic was a by-product of hard work and skill not just brute force and size.
Sometimes Irving and Duren’s sessions followed a grueling practice at Roman or continued at local gyms in the area.
Some days they worked on post skills. Other days, Duren developed guard skills during workouts with Justice Williams, now a guard at Robert Morris.
» READ MORE: Jalen Duren embraces opportunity to face all-world talent with USA Basketball Select Team
It seems that’s also when Duren learned to love the process of improvement.
”That’s the part that I remember most,” Irving said. “Just him kind of falling in love with working out. Once he saw himself getting better, that’s when he really figured it out.”
If those that helped mold him into the player he is today are correct, expect Duren to bounce back from Wednesday night’s performance with pizzazz.
”Like I said,” Irving added, “he’s not even 21 yet. He still has so much more room to grow.”