HOUSTON — Right out of the gate, the Houston Rockets didn’t have an answer for Jalen Duren.
The third-year center physically-dominated his matchup, Alperen Sengun, and stuffed the stat sheet early with 12 points (on 6-for-6 shooting) and three offensive rebounds in the opening quarter. The Detroit Pistons marched to an early 15-point lead, feeding off of the physical tone set by their starting center.
It was the type of performance they would like to see more frequently. Duren finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocks, leading the defensive charge in a 107-96 road win that brought the Pistons (22-21 overall) back above .500.
Sengun, who has generated some All-Star hype this season while averaging 19.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists, was held to 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists on 5-for-14 (35.7%) shooting.
“He is (a tone-setter) and that’s what we ask him to be,” J.B. Bickerstaff said. “How he goes, especially to start the game, typically is how this team goes. We put a ton of pressure on him to bring that juice, to bring that energy and help this team get off to great starts because typically when we get off to good starts it bleeds through the rest of the game.
“He was amazing tonight. Effort was great, executing coverages was great, force on offense and defense. He was big-time for us.”
Duren’s having his best season defensively — at least statistically. Per 100 possessions, he’s blocking a career-high 2.3 shots per game with 1.2 steals, an increase from last season and roughly equivalent to his rookie season.
His overall minutes have dipped, though, along with his raw scoring and defensive rebounding numbers. Some of that is because of his fellow “Dawg Pound” member, Isaiah Stewart. The two have split time at the center position this season, after starting alongside each other during Duren’s first two seasons. Duren’s averaging 25.1 minutes per game, after averaging 29.1 last year.
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It’s been a net positive for all parties involved. Stewart has been the Pistons’ best defensive player, and a tone-setter in his own right despite coming off of the bench. According to NBA Stats, opposing players are only making 46.1% of their shots at the rim contested by Stewart — the lowest percentage of any players averaging at least four contests per game.
Duren, on the other hand, has had superior pick-and-roll chemistry with Cade Cunningham. His 70.3% overall field goal percentage reflects the high-quality look he consistently gets as an alley-oop and putback specialist. He said his teammate should be the Defensive Player of the Year. Stewart’s earned the title — at least with the Pistons — and has provided Duren a bar to reach.
“That’s my brother, man,” Duren said. “He’s the type of guy that any team would love to have. He’s the guy that does all the little things that might not show up in the stat sheet, hell of a leader, great locker room guy and on the court I feel like everybody’s scared of him. It starts with him and we talk to each other. He tells me when I’m bullshitting, I tell him when he’s bullshitting, we keep it real with each other. And at the end of the day that’s my brother.
“We both want the same thing, we both want the team’s success, he’s been here long enough to see what the team’s been through and what the organization’s been through. Obviously I’ve been here for a little bit too. We just both want the best.”
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Together, Duren and Stewart provided given coach J.B. Bickerstaff two very different options. Stewart can’t jump like Duren and isn’t as effective a lob threat, but can stick with bigs both in the paint and on the perimeter.
Duren isn’t the consistent defender that Stewart is, but he’s capable of dominating. And Monday he showed what he’s capable of when he’s doing his best Stewart impersonation.
“Give our big guys credit,” Bickerstaff said. “JD and Stew had those assignments one on one and I think they did a really good job of understanding his tendencies. They played physical defensively and didn’t allow him to get to his spots, and then they contested all his shots and did a good job contesting without fouling and not sending him to the free throw line. Hats off to Stew, hats off to JD, they took an individual challenge and did a good job.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X @omarisankofa.
Isaiah Stewart, the young center for the Detroit Pistons, has been making waves with his stellar defensive play this season. His shot-blocking ability, rebounding prowess, and overall defensive intensity have set a high bar for rookie Jalen Duren, who was recently drafted by the Pistons.
Stewart’s tenacity on the defensive end has been a key factor in the Pistons’ improved performance this season. He has shown an ability to protect the rim, defend the pick-and-roll, and switch onto smaller players with ease. His energy and effort on defense have been infectious, inspiring his teammates to raise their own defensive intensity.
Jalen Duren, the highly-touted rookie out of Memphis, has big shoes to fill in terms of defensive impact. However, with Stewart as a mentor and role model, there is no doubt that Duren has the potential to become a defensive force in the NBA.
As the Pistons continue to develop their young core, Stewart’s defensive prowess will be a cornerstone of their success. And with Duren looking up to him and learning from him, the future looks bright for Detroit’s defense.
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