A dunk, then a second, then a third… That night against the Raptors, Jalen Duren continued to cause violence in the circles of the Little Caesars Arena. Six dunks, in a tap or at the conclusion of lobbed passes sent by Cade Cunningham, just in the first period!
The kind of practice that helps him finish with a good shooting percentage: 8/9 for him last night, to reach the 24-point mark with a good 8/10 on free throws, an area in which the Pistons pivot did notable progress compared to his rookie year.
Top scorer in his team, the interior completed his performance with 23 rebounds, a new career record, complemented with 5 assists (but as many lost balls). It was already his third double-double of the year, and the second in which he added at least 5 assists. Only Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis have done the same this season.
“ Not gonna lie, it's pretty cool to be mentioned with guys like them “, says the 20-year-old, who became the first player in the franchise to achieve such feats before turning 23. Monty Williams, who knows his player cannot reproduce these numbers every night, sees the result of his work.
Finish the season strong
“ When he puts in a consistent effort, he can't take this kind of night for granted, but he puts himself in a position to have this kind of match. He is diligent. I forget what match it was, but he didn't feel good about his performance. Since then, he has raised his level of concentration in training », Describes the coach, whose team has won three of its last four outings.
So Jalen Duren says to himself “ happier » by the fact that the Pistons were able to rebound well enough to win these two games in a row (Hornets and Raptors therefore). “ I just wanted us to win honestly. We talked a lot about playing hard and finishing the year on a high note. This is my state of mind these last matches since the All-Star break », he displays.
From last night's game, he retained the entries of Marcus Sasser (11 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists) or ” Big Wise », his replacement James Wiseman (6 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks) to relieve a major five in which all members finished with 12 points or more.
Jalen Duren concludes: “ I have the feeling that everyone finds their rhythm. Feeling the energy in the locker room, in the room, during the shooting session… It's a great energy, I love the way we're playing at the moment, how we feel, we want to continue like this . »
| Jalen Duren | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2022-23 | DET | 67 | 25 | 64.8 | 0.0 | 61.1 | 3.4 | 5.5 | 8.9 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 9.1 |
| 2023-24 | DET | 49 | 30 | 62.9 | 0.0 | 77.3 | 3.3 | 8.4 | 11.7 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 13.8 |
| Total | 116 | 27 | 63.8 | 0.0 | 68.5 | 3.4 | 6.7 | 10.1 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 11.1 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
