Pistons' Jalen Duren makes Team USA Select squad
Madeline KenneyHours before first-round pick Ron Holland was officially introduced as the newest member of the Detroit Pistons, other good news broke about one of his future teammates.
Pistons center Jalen Duren was one of the 15 players named to USA Basketball’s Select Team on Friday afternoon.
The Select team will be coached by Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley and will train alongside the U.S. Men’s National Team in Las Vegas next month as they gear up for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Pistons team president Trajan Langdon said he’s “very, very excited” for Duren and hopes the 20-year-old will seize this opportunity to train with some of the NBA’s finest.
“It’s a great opportunity for him to continue to improve for those three, four days, be around some of the best, actually the best in our league and some of the best all time, but to learn from those guys and compete against them every day,” Langdon said. “It’s a great thing for him to kind of progress in the summer, work on some things and play and then understand, ‘OK these are the things I need to work on coming into the season.’ So, I’m really excited for him.”
The Pistons drafted Duren No. 13 overall in the 2022 NBA draft. Last season, he and star Cade Cunningham were Detroit’s main pick-and-roll tandem. Since Langdon has taken over, there have been whispers that Duren might not be with the team once the season opens in October.
But Langdon said he still sees value in Duren and believes he has the potential to be an integral part of the team’s future.
Duren started all but one of his 61 games this past season, averaging 13.8 points on 61.9% shooting. He also posted 11.6 rebounds per game and 2.4 assists.
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