Jalen Duren is a 6-foot-5 point guard out of Dallas, Texas. He was named the MVP of the Nike EYBL ( Elite Youth Basketball League) this season. Duren is a highly touted prospect, and he has some big shoes to fill: John Wall was drafted first overall in 2010, and Bradley Beal was selected fifth overall in 2012. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at Jalen Duren and see what makes him such a promising player. We will also explore his strengths and weaknesses, as well as his potential role with the Washington Wizards in the coming years.
Jalen Duren’s Background
Jalen Duren, a 6’6” freshman forward out of Michigan State, is one of the most versatile prospects in this year’s draft. He can play both the 2 and 3 positions, making him an ideal fit next to any frontcourt player.
Duren played for multiple AAU teams before coming to MSU, where he averaged 16 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assists per game as a freshman. He was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Most Improved Player of the Year.
Strengths: Jalen Duren is a very versatile player who can play both the 2 and 3 positions well. He has good athleticism and good shooting ability from outside.
Weaknesses: Although Duren is a very versatile player, he may not be able to score enough points to be successful in the NBA. He also needs to work on his defense, as he can get caught sleeping on defenders from time to time.
His Unique Game
Jalen Duren burst onto the college basketball scene as a junior for the Memphis Tigers. He averaged 17.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game as a sophomore and was named to the All-ACC First Team. As a junior, he averaged 18.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 47 percent from the field and 43 percent from three-point range. In his two seasons at Memphis, Duren showed impressive consistency both on the stat sheet and on the court.
The Wizards selected Duren with their 31st overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Head coach Randy Wittman said of Duren after drafting him: “He’s an explosive athlete with a high level of athleticism and explosiveness which transfers over to his play on both ends of the floor… He has really good touch around the basket, very good hands and is able to get up high off the ground.”
One area where Duren will need to improve is his perimeter shooting – he shot just 30 percent from three-point range in college despite making over two-thirds of his shots from inside 10 feet. But based on his athleticism, touch around the basket, rebounding ability, and motor – there’s no doubt that Duren possesses all of the qualities needed to be successful in the NBA.
His Strengths
Jalen Duren has had a productive career at the college level. He is a good shooter from deep and has good ball handling skills. He is also very aggressive on the court and is always looking to make a play.
His Weaknesses
Jalen Duren is a 6’5″ small forward from Oklahoma State. He was drafted by the Washington Wizards in the second round (46th overall) of the 2014 NBA draft. Duren played college basketball for Oklahoma State. During his three years at OSU, he averaged 12.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Duren has good athleticism for his size, which helps him play above the rim in dunk contests and get to the free throw line frequently. He also has solid shooting range from outside the arc and can finish around the basket with either hand. However, Duren’s biggest weakness is his lack of ball-handling skills. This limits his ability to create shots for himself or others off of dribbles or passes around the perimeter. Additionally, he doesn’t have much experience playing off-ball on defense, which could lead to additional problems against more skilled opponents down the road.
What He Needs to Work On
Jalen Duren is a big man with a sky-high basketball IQ. He finished his collegiate career at Oklahoma State as the all-time leading scorer in school history. Scouts have raved about his potential since he was drafted in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.
Duren needs to add muscle to his 6’7″ frame and shore up his offensive game, but he is a very good defender who can switch onto multiple positions and guard multiple players. He averaged 9.3 points, 5 rebounds and 1 block per game over the course of his college career and has an impressive scoring repertoire that includes hook shots, floaters and mid-range jumpers.
Projected Draft Range
The Washington Wizards have the 19th overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, and they will have plenty of options with which to select. Their current first-round pick, Otto Porter, is a promising young player, but the team could use some more depth at the guard position. So who are the prospects that could be available when the Wizards make their selection?
One player who may be on the board when Washington selects is Jalen Duren from Arizona. He is a 6’5″ combo guard who averaged 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4 assists per game last season while shooting 43% from three-point range. Duren has good size for an NBA point guard and is an excellent shooter. He also plays hard on both ends of the floor and should fit in well with Washington’s style of play.
Another player who could be available at No. 19 is Isaiah Whitehead from Seton Hall. Whitehead was one of the top scorers in college last season and he can play either forward spot in a lineup. He averaged 21.1 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists last year while shooting 46% from three-point range. Whitehead has excellent athleticism for a big man and he can score inside or outside to stretch opposing defenses. He would be an excellent addition to Washington’s roster as he improves his scoring ability and defensive skills over time.
duren nba draft
Jalen Duren, a 6-foot-5 guard from Tennessee, had an excellent college career at Tennessee. He averaged 17.2 points and 7.7 assists per game as a senior, earning All-SEC First Team and USBWA Third Team All-America honors. Duren is known for his scoring ability, as he shot 44 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point range in his final year at Tennessee. However, scouts believe that he has the potential to be a very good defender as well.
Duren is not the most physically imposing player, but he makes up for it with quickness and agility. He also has good court vision and passing skills, which allows him to create shots for himself or for others. Scouts feel that Duren’s scoring ability combined with his defensive versatility could make him a very successful pro basketball player.
Conclusion
Jalen Duren is a 6’5″ point guard from Texas who just finished his freshman season at Texas A&M. In 42 games (27 starts) for the Aggies, Duren averaged 14.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals in 28 minutes per game while shooting 49% from the field, 50% from three-point range and 83% from the free throw line. He also chipped in 1.2 blocks and 0.9 assists while turning the ball over only 2 times per 40 minutes of play on offense (+2 turnover rate). At 18 years old, Jalen Duren has all of the markers of a future NBA player: length (6’5″), athleticism (speed and leaping ability), scoring ability (14-5-4), passing ability (4-1-1) and rebounding (5-8). Do not be surprised if he is drafted in either the first or second round of this year’s NBA draft where he would team up with John Wall to give Washington some much needed backcourt depth down the road.
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