Paul George on Jalen Duren: ‘I see him as a baby Dwight Howard’
Jalen Duren has had a productive rookie campaign with the Detroit Pistons and the 13th pick recently earned high praise from eight-time All-Star Paul George.
Duren is averaging 8.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists on 63.9% shooting from the field in 63 games with the Pistons. He leads the rookie class in rebounding and is second in double-doubles (17), and is fifth among all players in offensive rebounding (3.4 per game).
Speaking on “Podcast P with Paul George,” the Los Angeles Clippers forward compared Duren to future Hall of Famer Dwight Howard and offered a scouting report on his game.
I like his game. I see what I think he will be in the league. I see him as a baby Dwight Howard. He is built like a grown-ass man. … Detroit has so many big men over there. They have (James) Wiseman, Marvin Bagley and Isaiah Stewart. I just hope that they don’t stunt that kid’s growth because I think he’s going to be a big-time player. He is only 19. He has got the size. He has got good feet, he can move.
It isn’t the first time Duren has been mentioned alongside Howard.
Duren, as the youngest player in the NBA, is putting up numbers no rookie has since Howard in the 2004-05 season with Orlando. He recently recorded his 200th offensive rebound and joined Howard and Moses Malone as the only teenagers in history to accomplish that feat.
The similarities between the two players are certainly there as Duren is emerging as one of the top rebounders in the game. He has been a force inside the paint and brings seemingly endless energy and effort off the bench.
The frontcourt is awfully crowded in Detroit, as George discussed, but Duren projects to have a bright future ahead with the Pistons. He checks a lot of boxes on the court and will be a hard player to keep off of the court next season and beyond.
