Jalen Duren breaks NBA record not achieved by LeBron James or Michael Jordan

Jalen Duren becomes the youngest in NBA history to record stat line

In the Pistons’ 127-112 win against the Pacers, Duren became the youngest player in NBA history to record over 30 points and 15 rebounds on over 90% shooting from the field in the regular season.

Duren had 31 points and 15 rebounds, shooting 12-13 from the field to lead his team to their 10th straight victory. He was the first player since Dwight Howard in 2010 to achieve this stat line. 

He just missed two games with a sprained left ankle, so to come back and dominate in this fashion shows a supreme level of confidence in his ability. 

Incredibly, it’s Duren’s third 30-point game of the season through 14 games, and his fourth time recording over 15 rebounds. He had a 22-point, 22-rebound game against the Utah Jazz in the NBA Cup earlier this month, and a 33-point double-double against the Dallas Mavericks. 

And the number of 30-point games Duren had before this season? One. That came in his rookie season in an overtime victory against the San Antonio Spurs. It’s an unbelievable turnaround for the big man out of the University of Memphis. 

J.B. Bickerstaff explains how Jalen Duren ‘continued to dominate’ on Detroit Pistons return

Unsurprisingly, Pistons Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff sang the praises of Duren after his record-breaking performance. 

After the game, he explained to reporters how his young center was able to control the game with his physicality.

Bickerstaff said, “He’s just continued to dominate. That’s the only way you can say it. The way he’s rebounding the ball through traffic, through contact, the way he’s creating off the bounce for himself, attacking people, getting to the free throw line, making his free throws.

“He’s just playing a well-rounded game, to do all that in [29] minutes too, right? In your first game back. Hats off to him and the consistency he’s found and the confidence he has that he can dominate at any time.”

While Cunningham rightly gets the plaudits, Duren is just as important for setting the tone in Detroit. With this record, he showed the NBA world that there are two stars on this young Pistons roster.