On Wednesday, Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren became just the fourth player in NBA history to record at least 20 points, 20 rebounds, and five assists on 88.0 percent shooting in a single game, joining the likes of Domantas Sabonis, Willis Reed, and Wilt Chamberlain in achieving that feat. Sabonis, a 3-time All-Star, is the only player from that list who isn’t in the Hall of Fame.
As the Pistons downed the Toronto Raptors to notch their 12th win of the season, Duren controlled the boards from start to finish. Though statistics never tell the entire story, the numbers that Duren put up against the Raptors do well to illustrate the second-year pro’s play.
Jalen Duren Puts Name with Hall of Famers Amid Historic Night
At 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, Duren doesn’t have the best height for the position, but he’s lean and mean. That relentlessness would serve him well against the Raptors. It didn’t matter if he was alone under the basket or competing with multiple players for the rebound. Of course, having a 7-foot-5 wingspan helps. On multiple occasions, Duren plucked the ball out of the air with one hand while using his other arm to fend off Raptors players.
Nonetheless, the single most determining factor when it comes to rebounding is willpower. To that point, while Duren hasn’t displayed as much effort on defending shot attempts around the rim as he’s been expected to, he doesn’t lack effort on the glass.
The 20-year-old Duren ranks fourth in the NBA in rebounding percentage this season (19.5). 216 of his rebounds have been contested, which ranks fourth among players with fewer than 1,500 minutes this season. He ranks third in second-chance points (183) using that same filter. Furthermore, his 120 box outs rank fourth among players with fewer than 1,500 minutes this season.
One of the best rebounders in the world, Duren ranks 10th in rebounds per game from 2022-23 to 2023-24.
As for the playmaking portion of Duren’s historically relevant night, assist numbers can be difficult to judge. Sometimes, a player gets an assist for making it their business to get their teammate a good spot. Other times, a player gets an assist because their teammate made a good move or a nice shot.
Against the Raptors, Duren was far more of the former, repeatedly kicking the ball out to the perimeter. If that didn’t work, dribble hand-offs did. To that point, Duren ranks third in the NBA in screen assists (4.8) and screen assists points (10.7) per game.
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