It’s the final weekend before the NBA regular season begins, which means you’re coming here for your fantasy basketball drafts.
Should you draft Jalen Duren this season? Here’s the latest outlook, projections, and rankings for the Detroit Pistons Center.
Should You Draft Jalen Duren in Fantasy Basketball?
Entering Year 4, Jalen Duren has quietly proven to be one of the NBA’s better young centers, utilizing his athleticism and physicality to dominate the glass and finish around the rim. Over 78 appearances last season, Duren averaged 11.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game.
While not a prolific rim protector, Duren finished second in the league in field-goal percentage (69.2%) and ninth in double-doubles (41), giving him a defined fantasy skill set. That said, the 21-year-old’s inability to space the floor and poor free-throw shooting (66.9%) make him a better fit for certain team builds in category leagues, particularly those punting free-throw percentage.
Duren can comfortably be drafted around the sixth round in standard formats by managers targeting traditional big man stats with a hint of upside.
Looking for more fantasy basketball outlooks? Head over to our NBA landing page for analysis on 200 players.
What Are Duren’s Fantasy Basketball Projections This Season?
Based on our proprietary metrics here at PFSN, we project Duren to score 2,541.5 fantasy points this season, with him averaging 12.3 points per game.
This includes 5.1 field goals per game, 0.0 three-pointers per game, 2.2 free throws per game, 10.6 rebounds per game, 2.4 assists per game, 0.6 steals per game, and 1.1 blocks per game.
Where Does Jalen Duren Rank in the Upcoming Fantasy Basketball Season?
Duren is ranked 50th overall and eighth at his position. The five players ranked ahead of him overall include Trey Murphy III, Zach LaVine, Alexandre Sarr, Coby White, and Chet Holmgren.
The five players ranked behind him overall include Rudy Gobert, Josh Hart, Austin Reaves, Ivica Zubac, and Darius Garland.
The five players ranked ahead of him at his position include Domantas Sabonis, Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, Nikola Vučević, and Holmgren.
The five players ranked behind him at his position include Gobert, Zubac, Jarrett Allen, Kristaps Porzingis, and Deandre Ayton.
