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Jalen Duren had 21 points and 10 rebounds after being added to the All-Star Game on Sunday night as an Eastern Conference reserve, and the Detroit Pistons routed the Brooklyn Nets 130-77 in the most-lopsided victory in franchise history. The 53-point margin topped the mark of 52 set in a 118-66 victory at Boston on Jan 31, 2003. The Nets had a 54-point loss -- 120-66 -- on Jan. 21 against New York.
The moment Jalen Duren found out he was named an All-Star for the first time ❤️ pic.twitter.com/qTQkqj2Gfq
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 1, 2026
In the midst of a star-making season with the Detroit Pistons, Jalen Duren, 22, also drew major attention when he posed on the cover of SLAM earlier this month, showing off his muscular arms in a tribute to Pistons great Ben Wallace. When the magazine cover was released, social media took notice. “People slowly finding out that jalen duren is fine as s*** is so funny lol,” one person wrote via X.
When presented with the evidence that he had become the NBA’s newest “sex symbol,” Jalen Duren said he was “shocked.” “It was crazy, bro,” Duren exclusively told Us Weekly about the reaction. “I definitely didn’t expect it to blow up as much as it did. God willing, it did. To be on the SLAM cover is a great opportunity. It was a great honor. It definitely caused a lot of attraction and gravity. I don’t know how, but it was cool.”
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His stats make him a prime candidate to be named as a reserve for the Eastern Conference All-Star Team, which would mark his first inclusion on the roster. “That’s one of the top honors you can get playing this game,” Duren said of potentially being named to the squad. "It would mean the world, honestly. It would mean a lot to me. It would mean a lot to my family. It would mean a lot to the work that I’ve put in to get to this point.”
You work with player development coach Eric Curry often. It’s usually one-on-ones and getting to moves like these. How helpful has he been to your growth offensively? Jalen Duren: It’s huge. Me cooking “E” over the last two years, bro, it definitely has been a big part of my game. You see me, I play one-on-one almost every day (with Eric). It might look like just one-to-one, but it’s really scripted in my head. So I have him guard me, and I try to play as realistically as possible. I’m working on shots, hooks, taking him off the dribble, certain moves I make.
Omari Sankofa II?: Ausar on Duren: "I see an All-Star, All-NBA, a great guy, great player." What makes him an All-Star? "Everything. Dunking on dudes, excitement, rebounds, defense, scoring, dunking on dudes again. He’s gotta have the most bodies in the league this year."
Omari Sankofa: "I think he [Jalen Duren] played his best basketball last season in the playoffs against the Knicks. I think he was the Pistons' second-best player in that series. So he just picked up where he left off this year. Like you mentioned with his sort of very ISO game... that's a wrinkle that, you know, I don't know if you could really project that coming in because when you have somebody who makes their living off an alley-oop and putbacks, transition, high rebounding numbers, coaches aren't always going to say, 'Okay, I trust you to go and take guys off the dribble.' But again, I just saw so much growth for him to come back with a little bit of a mid-range jumper with a pretty tight handle where he's taking opposing centers off the dribble. You know, you could do a hand-off fake, like, you know, you could trust him to make the right pass or take it in himself. And he's got like some real patience on his drives, too. You know, it's not just him trying to be KD. He'll create room with his shoulder. He's got trap steps. He's got a little bit of a bag there that's been pretty fun to watch."
NBA Communications: Other nominees… West: Saddiq Bey (NOP), Kevin Durant (HOU), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), James Harden (LAC) and Naji Marshall (DAL) East: Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell (MIA), Jalen Duren (DET), Jalen Johnson (ATL), Donovan Mitchell (CLE) and Coby White (CHI)
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Omari Sankofa II: FINAL: Pistons 139, Kings 116. Their two highest-scoring games of the season have both come against the Kings. They're 33-11 overall. Cunningham: 29 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals Duren: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals
Omari Sankofa II: FINAL: Pistons 112, Pelicans 104. Not their finest performance, but they locked down defensively in the second half and made just enough shots in the fourth. Also took better care of the ball. Duren: 20 pts, 15 rebs Jenkins: 17 pts
Omari Sankofa II: FINAL: Pistons 104, Celtics 103. Brown's game-winning midrange attempt bounced off the back of the rim, and then the front. What a hard-fought game and win, one of the best of the season. Harris: 25 pts Duren: 18 pts, 9 rebs Cunningham: 16 pts, 14 rebs
Jalen Duren, whose biceps are the size of thighs, might be the only player listed at 6-foot-10 who could be accurately described that way. The realization comes at an opportune time for the soon-to-be restricted free agent. Duren was eligible for an extension this past summer, but he and the Pistons were so far apart on numbers that the two sides never even got into negotiations, league sources said. Duren sought a max contract. Detroit didn’t believe doling out so much money before its starting center proved himself more would be prudent. Duren will enter the upcoming summer with a stronger argument for a payday — not just because of individual improvement, but also because of how he fits into an up-and-coming culture.
