Throughout the 2024-2025 NBA season, the Detroit Pistons campaigned for Isaiah Stewart to earn recognition for his defensive dominance. Since Stewart was limited to a bench role under JB Bickerstaff this past season, it was evident he wouldn’t be in the race for any official acknowledgements by the league.
The same couldn’t be said for Jalen Duren.
While the young veteran’s offense certainly tends to shine brighter than his defense, Duren’s defense received a slight tip of the cap this season. On Thursday, the NBA announced voting results for the league’s All-Defensive squads. While the Pistons didn’t have anybody earning a nod, Duren landed a second-team vote.
In his third season with the Pistons, Duren was blessed with good health. He managed to play in 78 games. Despite a slow start to the year, the big man remained a full-time starter, logging over 2,000 minutes during the regular season for the first time in his career.
Seeing the court for an average of 26 minutes per game, Duren averaged 10 rebounds per outing. He was above the 90th percentile for offensive rebounding percentage (14%) and in the 87th percentile for defensive rebounding percentage (24%), according to Cleaning the Glass. Duren also blocked 2.2% of his opponent’s shots, which placed him in the 71st percentile. It was the first time Duren averaged over one block per game in his career.
While Duren was very vocal in his support for Stewart being the best defensive big man in the game, he’s got to take a little bit of credit for himself. Overall, the 21-year-old center had a stellar third season for Detroit. During the regular season, he averaged a double-double for the second year in a row. In the playoffs, he posted averages of 12 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.
