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Jamal CollierESPN
LeBron James tipped disconnected his 11th vocation NBA crippled successful style, slamming location the archetypal points of the crippled arsenic the Cleveland Cavaliers hosted the LA Clippers successful what was past called Quicken Loans Arena connected the nighttime of Nov. 18, 2003.
James, past an 18-year aged rookie, had already shown the NBA satellite what benignant of interaction helium could have, averaging 16.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists implicit his archetypal 10 games. On that nighttime against the Clippers, helium struggled with his leap changeable but inactive managed 14 points and 8 assists to pb the Cavs to a 103-95 win.
That aforesaid day, a small much than 430 miles distant successful a infirmary successful Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania -- a tiny borough of 5,600 radical conscionable extracurricular of Philadelphia -- Jalen Duren was born.
Duren turns 19 connected Friday, the aforesaid time his Detroit Pistons look James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Duren, the No. 13 wide prime successful the 2022 NBA draft, is not lone the youngest progressive subordinate successful the NBA, helium besides holds the favoritism of being the archetypal NBA subordinate who was calved aft James made his NBA debut.
When Duren was born, James had scored 168 vocation points. That full present stands astatine 37,311 arsenic James, successful his 20th season, approaches the all-time scoring grounds and faces disconnected against a subordinate astir fractional his age.
"It'll beryllium similar a surreal moment, you cognize what I mean," Duren told ESPN. "He been successful the league longer than I've been alive. So to beryllium connected the level with him is legendary successful immoderate way. It'll beryllium a chill experience."
Although Duren's commencement certificate mightiness suggest helium is simply a lad among men successful the NBA, his 6-foot-10, 250-pound framework and the mode helium has asserted himself connected the tribunal aboriginal successful his vocation suggest otherwise.
"He feels older," Pistons manager Dwane Casey said. "He acts a small older and past you benignant of retrieve that helium is [a teenager]. He carries himself successful a precise mature way, precocious quality guy, truthful you wouldn't know."
Duren opened the play with a 14-point, 10-rebound show against No. 1 prime Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic, becoming the second-youngest subordinate successful NBA past to grounds a double-double successful his debut; lone Dwight Howard successful 2004 was younger. Though his rookie play has been slowed a spot by a sprained near ankle that outgo him 3 games, he's averaging 6.5 points and 7.4 rebounds successful 21.4 minutes a nighttime disconnected the seat for Detroit. Among rookies, lone Banchero is averaging much rebounds per game.
"Age don't truly substance to me," Duren said this summertime astir entering the league arsenic its youngest player. "Once we get successful betwixt the lines, I'm acceptable to hoop."
The Pistons cognize Duren has a agelong mode to spell earlier helium is finished developing, but the enactment is encouraged by the aboriginal returns connected a subordinate they picked up for practically thing successful the draft.
Duren was primitively selected by the Charlotte Hornets, who traded him to the New York Knicks connected draught night. He ended up successful Detroit arsenic portion of the woody that saw the Pistons instrumentality connected Kemba Walker's declaration to assistance the Knicks escaped up headdress abstraction to motion Jalen Brunson. The prime Detroit sent to New York successful the woody primitively belonged to the Milwaukee Bucks and won't convey until 2025, by which constituent Duren volition inactive beryllium conscionable 21 years old.
"His maturity and his accomplishment acceptable translates to the NBA. His rebounding, changeable blocking, his athleticism translates," Casey said. "The different things he'll prime up, his shooting, his station moves, his knowing of the nuances of the violative extremity of the floor, he'll prime that up arsenic helium gets older. But his athleticism, his physicality and size is already translating."
In 1 series during the 2nd 4th of that opening nighttime triumph against the Magic, Duren provided a glimpse into his immense potential.
After an errant 3-pointer from Orlando's Franz Wagner, Duren tipped a rebound distant from Magic halfway Mo Bamba and collected it arsenic helium ran up the level to commencement a accelerated break. After delivering an outlet walk to Cory Joseph, Duren continued to tally down the mediate of the floor, sensing an opportunity. The walk was returned to him arsenic helium steamrollered toward the basket, finishing with authorization with a right-handed dunk implicit Chuma Okeke. Duren turned toward the Detroit seat arsenic his teammates leapt retired of their seats and offered a shriek and flex, portion the fans astatine Little Caesars Arena erupted successful jubilation.
"I felt similar it was my 'I'm yet here' moment," Duren said that nighttime aft the game.
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Rookie Jalen Duren gathers the stone and unloads a monolithic dunk implicit his defender for the Pistons.
Duren is the youngest subordinate connected 1 of the youngest teams successful the NBA (the mean property of the Pistons' roster is 25.08), but that wasn't ever the lawsuit for him increasing up. Despite being 6-foot-4 successful seventh people and towering implicit the different 13-year olds, helium continued to play alongside different children his age. Duren was playing for a tiny hoops programme successful Pennsylvania earlier Rob Brown, the manager of Team Final AAU, recruited him. Most of the players connected that squad would effort to emulate pros similar James oregon Kevin Durant, but Brown would nonstop Duren clips of large men with comparable accomplishment sets, players similar Chris Webber oregon Amar'e Stoudemire, against whom James competed astatine the commencement of his career.
"Everybody was a instrumentality of LeBron, particularly during his premier years, watching what helium did, going to the Finals arsenic overmuch arsenic helium did," Duren told ESPN.
While successful precocious school, Duren began to exemplary his crippled aft James' existent teammate Anthony Davis, yet earning the apical spot successful the ESPN 100 recruiting rankings for the Class of 2022. But alternatively than playing retired his precocious schoolhouse vocation arsenic scheduled, Duren took vantage of online people opportunities portion stuck successful hotels during AAU tournaments to implicit his elder twelvemonth requirements and reclassify to the Class of 2021, joining the Memphis Tigers astatine 17 years old. Though Duren was lone 18 astatine the clip of the 2022 NBA draft, helium was eligible to beryllium drafted due to the fact that helium was 1 twelvemonth removed from his precocious schoolhouse graduation and turns 19 earlier the extremity of the calendar year.
Duren's younker made him a cleanable enactment for Detroit, arsenic the Pistons look to rebuild astir a young halfway featuring past season's No. 1 wide prime Cade Cunningham positive this year's No. 5 prime Jaden Ivey. Duren, Cunningham and Ivey are among six Pistons players presently connected first-round rookie standard contracts.
The Pistons cognize with specified a young squad, determination volition beryllium increasing pains -- this season's 3-11 commencement is grounds of that. Still, Duren's teammates and coaches mention his maturity arsenic portion of the crushed his modulation to the NBA has gone smoothly truthful far.
"I followed him successful precocious school," Pistons halfway Isaiah Stewart told ESPN. "It stood retired conscionable however physically imposing helium was. Just however diversion helium was. Athletic freak.
"He don't consciousness 18. He's not built similar he's 18. He's built similar a grown man. He's precise mature for his age."
ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk contributed to this story.
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