The Official Detroit Pistons Podcast | Jalen Duren | S1 Ep4

The Official Detroit Pistons Podcast | Jalen Duren | S1 Ep4

What’s up Pistons fam this is Major Taylor welcome back to the official Detroit Pistons podcast and today today is a really really good one we got JD Jaylen Duren uh we talked about his time in Sharon Hill we talked about his expectations for the league and a lot more so let’s get into

It when you think of the Pistons you think of just hard work and just readyy basketball so I feel like that’s just the identity you got to have when you putting on that Jersey [Applause] D wait can I say uh everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth JD

What’s going on man what’s up so first and foremost I want to thank you for being here uh just because and I’m sure you’ve seen this anytime that you read anything about you if anything anytime you see an article about you anytime someone’s talking about you people are

Considering you like one of the Cornerstone pieces for the Pistons like how do you feel that Embrace from the city but also like from players around the lead yeah uh I mean it’s a blessing I look at as a blessing and a testament to the work I’m putting in for real for

I mean we haven’t done nothing yet we haven’t won nothing yet um so really is just talk right now so we trying to turn into reality yeah but one thing I can say is like even with the current situation like one thing that is great to see out there is like the bonds

That’s being created with the team like seeing you and Kate’s connection which we didn’t get to see a We just connect and I feel like the front office has done a great job in terms of just putting guys with the same character and the same mindset the same morals in the locker room one thing I want to call out and I don’t want to

Make this a podcast about your age but I’m sure you’ve seen the stats at at 20 years old right now um you are second in rebounds uh all time for someone your age you’re also second in double doubles only to behind Dwight Howard you know that’s not a small thing so when you

Were drafted are where you are now as a player surpass expectations are you at expectations are you below expectations of what you thought uh I’ll say I’m on Pace Pace you know at getting drafted everybody thought I was too young some people thought I was going to be in the

G league and uh some people thought I wasn’t ready you know what I mean I just took that as like more fuel to the fire like I never really I know what I know what I could do I know who I am and I

Know where I want to be in life not just in basketball I know where I want to be in life and I know what I need to do to get there so as of right now now you know I’m right on Pace you know I’m kind

Of starting to hit my stde I’m the game is slowing down for me I’m learning more um just building with my teammates and feel like I’m on the right path yeah that confidence that you have when you say you’re right on Pace um did you get

That have you always had that or is that something that when you were at University of Memphis playing you like had a lot of Veteran leadership there like you had NBA vet Penny Hardaway you had the Larry Browns you had the rashed Wallace was that built there or is that

Something you just grown up with uh I probably say it come from the work you know I work hard you know I mean I work on my body my game and just just studying the game of basketball itself you know I watch a lot of film and just

I care about it so I trust in the work that I put in and that would give me my confidence yeah can you go a little deeper and like what work do you put in like are you do you have like a resiment during the season versus a regiment off

This or during the offseason like what type of work are you putting in well I’ll probably say um off the season of course you getting a lot more work in than during the season but during the season I tried to maintain my body more so you know what I mean but even coming

In early you know before practice getting up shots working with uh some of our development coaches and you know watching film I watch every game probably two three times after we play you know breaking down film not just watching like my highlights but watching what the team could do better watching

Where we’re struggling at watching why we’re struggling in those areas um and really come down that’s really a mental thing for me during the season offseason you know it’s a lot more physical trying to you know keep my body recover and get stronger get faster work on my game

Skill all that type of stuff from a mental standpoint how do you get through a 82 game like a NBA season like it’s it’s a long long season it’s a long season you know and it’s only your second year doing it like how do you mentally PR prep yourself and prepare

For that um I probably say one like your off time like your time away well for me is very important like for me it’s like I like to when I’m not playing basketball I’m not working out I like to just be in my own world you know what I

Mean whether it be I got two dogs chilling with my dogs and just watching the movie kind of decompressing from it mentally or just just out the way you know what I mean but when I’m in it like we got a road trip and I know we got

Games it’s staying in it like staying locked in and just knowing like what’s going on because you know what I mean this is this my job this is what I do this is how I feel my family so I try to give it all I got yeah what kind of dogs

You have I have a cane Coro and a labador retriever all I have a lab too yeah what type like black lab black lab mine is like a like a orange it’s weird like a really yeah it’s like a almost a reddish I bet it got like colored eyes y

You got a foreign that look man uh but I’m just like you it’s the it’s the mental thing like going home and seeing the dogs and yeah it just changes everything for you facts yeah um so I do want to go back to something you said a little bit earlier where you said

You you’re on Pace for where you want your career but you’re also on Pace for where you want your your life can you go a little bit deeper into like when you see 10 years out 20 years out where do you see not only your career but where do you see your

Life uh 10 years I probably say just so my goal one of my goals especially off the court uh is is kind of to elevate the people around me I know a lot of people just say that but that’s something I’m really I really kind of am

Invested in doing um my circle like people who came up the people who helped me get here and and in this position I want to kind of help them and build them up and not only just give them things but give them opportunity you know what I mean instead of just handouts like

Opportunities to elevate their themselves and I call that you know i’ say something called ppip and that’s really my thing it’s called it’s putting people in position to provide for the people they love but he just shortened it people YP putting people in position and that’s just you know me trying to do

My best to put people in position to have opportunities to succeed in life because where we come from in a lot of people situation they don’t have those opportunities so I look at myself as like the ticket and the outlet for you know everybody else to grow when you say

Putting people in position that just brings me to uh some of the things you were doing in the offseason like JD day and it was the JD Allstar yeah yeah yeah yeah can you speak a little bit more about that like those experiences because you did back in your hometown

Right Sharon Hill yep I’m from Sharon Hill Pennsylvania so I was blessed enough uh I think the summer I think it might have been after I got drafted the summer like I got drafted like maybe a month after the draft in August I was blessed to you know they named a day

After me um and kind of got like the key to the city and all that and it was like a huge blessing and I kind of wanted to do more with it I didn’t want to just have it and then I was just it’s just a

Day I wanted to make it as like opport Unity to give back to my community so I mean I got with my mom my mom was a huge part of my whole family my mom my aunt grandom deare like everybody kind of helped pitch in and just make it a huge

Event I wanted to be like a day you know kids were going back to school I wanted it to be like a thing that they can come out and enjoy the themselves and kind of bring something positive back to the community it’s a lot of negative things

Going on in the world so with these kids I just wanted to show them something positive and I feel like it was that and then I also have like a a basket summer league out there jayen dor summer league and Sharon h and that was like the

Allstar game so I was able to go out there and let the kids see me and kind of go out there on the court and play with them and just have a good time it was just a good day you know what I mean that’s all I wanted to be just positive

Energy Moon bounces rides and just fun so it seems like you like to do a lot in the community where where did you get that like that energy from or I don’t know I mean I just I feel like my mom put it in me like it’s it’s it’s just giving back

Like you can’t take it with you so just spreading the love I don’t I I I don’t I don’t like to see people struggle you know what I mean if I can help in a way then I try to and I know like I said

It’s a lot of a lot of things going on in this world a lot of people going through what they’re going through so if I can share the positive light on any situation I try to so I do want to talk a little bit more just about Sharon Hill

And growing up there it’s a little outside of Philly yeah so did you grow up a Sixers fan so I I was supported them but I was more like a players guy you know what I mean I I enjoy players who were your players back then my

Favorite player growing up was KD for sure you know AI was icon but I caught like the later AI but just he was a icon you know Brian was Bri you know everybody kind of supported Brian but ID probably say KD was like growing up was like my favorite player

So maybe but like did you take anything from KD’s game or did you take anything from anyone’s game back in the day where you’re like I’m building my career off of this it’s crazy cuz I I really didn’t start taking basketball seriously like wanting to do something with it to like

Probably like I was a sophomore in high school so throughout all the all the time before I was just playing for fun it was never really like something I’m like I need to you know work on this try to do this like I always played you know football I play different sports but

Basketball didn’t become like okay this is what I’m going to do until like my sophomore yeah what was the moment where you were like this is what I’m going to do and how tall were you uh uh my S I was probably like 68 69 okay around that

Um and then I just I I just started to develop I got with um somebody like my mentor my big brother uh Desmond Irving he is the assistant coach at University of Miami right now I um I was with him and you know he was one of the coaches

At the time at Roman Catholic to the high school that I went to and he came in and just was like seeing how much potential I had I guess and he was the one who kind of got me in the gym I started working working on LA Fitness

You know with him he waking me up we early morning going in there early coming back later at the practice going in there like we was just getting it working out and then I seen how much better I was getting how much better I was growing and then you know things

Started to happen for me and I was like okay I can be good at this and took off from there so when did you realize I’m going to be in NBA like this is this is really happening when it got to the 13th pick and they called my name that’s when

I was like you knew before then see and people say like I I I never I used to hate like when people used to ask me that not saying I hate that you ask me but like cuz I I never wanted to think like that you know what I mean I never

Nothing’s guaranteed you know what I mean when you think like that it’s kind of it make you complacent you know what I mean I always wanted to feel like it’s more I could do like you I always it’s a blessing to even be here right now

Talking to you you know what I mean in this position so I never wanted to think like oh I knew I was going to be in that like I I know I’m going to get to the league I know I’m going to do I wanted

To I worked my butt off to get here but I always looked at it with an open mind like like I’m just going to leave with humble yeah I’m I’mma go I’m going work as hard as I can I’m going do everything I can I’m if I don’t get drafted here

I’mma still go another route try to get in there I’m going do what I got to do but I never wanted to be like yeah it’s just going to happen for me you know what I mean so 13th pick mhm now you’re you’re in the league yeah the work

Really begins yeah how was those first few months for you I mean you you were drafted one team you then got traded to another it was it was uh like you were saying people were saying you were going to be in different it was different it was different for me I

Um it was a lot of like learning for me honestly them first couple months like just just learning like I was you know learning from Stu learning from the coaches learning from coach Casey and just talking to everybody just you know what I mean just trying to take in

Information like you said I was young so I knew I knew I wasn’t just going to come right in and just like take over everything right away it’s process I had to learn I had to build and it was you know what I mean wait my turn and that’s

What I did I grinded every day worked my butt off continued to work continue to learn and just get information on the game and how I can help the team how I can affect the game on this level and you know day by day things worked out

For me up until this point and just continue to grow yeah that’s all it is is there any advice that gave you during that time that that stuck with you or any advice that anyone on the team gave you during that time uh so I so St

Helped me in a way that it it wasn’t it wasn’t how you think it it wasn’t like like now it’s like he plays like the big brother role and kind of like you know what I mean but coming in I feel like he kind of helped me get ready for the NBA

In terms of coming in he was aggressive like out the gate training came Bea me up don’t me you know Stu is a big guy so he pushing me around I’m like like bro what’s up like but he just throwing me this and everything was just super

Aggressive hitting me all the time every play every time the rebound go up he bow to the chest I was just like God dang like what’s going on this what it’s like and I feel like that’s more than me that that brought like a certain type of aggression and knowing like all right

This is what I can do to affect the game now going against playing with that every day this out here nobody else plays like that like no ST does something that nobody in the NBA does like nobody is constantly hitting you and just aggressive and just being strong and overly aggressive every play

So playing with st had got me ready for that now I’m going in and I’m ready to see every big and I’m ready to play against them and I’m like now I’m being the aggressor you know what I mean cuz he kind of molded that into me I tell

Him that all the time like at the time I was like why is he like yeah he just going at me every time he a leader by action yeah so I feel like he he kind kind of he kind of put that he kind of sparked that energy in me yeah and now

Y’all are considered the dog pound yeah and that’s something that that you to I feel like really have that bond with you know some people may be added in every now and then but I feel like y’all are really the Cornerstone of the dog pound yeah when y’all are on the court what

Are the things that y like as the dog pound we are trying to do out here all the Dirty Work all the Dirty Work all dog like I’m trying to I’m my C but all the dog stuff you know what I mean like you going to see me I’m I’m big but I’m

Going dive on the floor you know what I mean I’m going go try to block every shot I’m going set a hard screen all the dirty work you know what I mean all boxing out just all the stuff that people don’t want to do and I’m going to

Be physical with you the whole game you know St going to be physical with you the whole game probably after the game you know what I mean but that’s just we just embody that and I feel like that kind of brings a certain energy to the

Team and to our defense and what we bring to the floor for sure is that something that you want to you want that energy to be the Pistons energy moving forward like yeah I feel like in every era of Pistons basketball um especially the successful errors there’s been like

Kind of that that aggressive that dirtiness that doing the the little things to win do you see that as like this third iteration is going to be just maybe not exactly those teams but similar yeah you need that you need that like you need that to win you need that

Like somebody at least somebody on the team to kind of bring that type of energy you know what I mean and that’s like you said that’s with Detroit and bodies like when you think of the Pistons you think of just hard work and just gritty basketball so I feel like

That’s just the identity you got to have when you putting on that Jersey yeah all right so I’m going to slow it down a little bit I’m going to put you in the hot seat so I’m going to just roll off as many questions as possible and I just

First thought first thing that comes to your mind answer that way all right okay so I’m going to I have a clock here that you’ll be able to hear all right so tell me when you’re ready to go let’s do it let’s do it all right Apple music or Spotify Apple music

We’re going to stop the cloud really quick so who was your top listening to artist this year I didn’t look at it but off the top of my head I can tell you it’s definitely Eric about do in there okay uh probably some artist from Philly

Uh shout out some if you add them uh probably like a little bit of leaf Ward uh let me think who else would be in there um Mary J Mary Jay in there um who else would be in there who I listen to a lot I listen to such a variety

Like artist is hard to say one artist that I’ll just be listening to I don’t know I got to look at that I got to look at that yeah yeah look at it I got to see who on there I’m going to start the clock back up and then we can go back

With Netflix or Hulu Netflix uh last show you really enjoyed watching raising Kanan Crocs yes or no sometimes uh Tik Tok or Instagram Instagram uh best dressed on the team me all right uh so I want I want to stay with the fashion conversation really quick cuz one thing that I’ve noticed is

You take it seem like you take a lot of pride in your your fits during game days during arrivals where did your interest of fashion come from uh just growing up and like certain things I couldn’t get and know I couldn’t have and you know now

I’m able to do it so why not yeah so I have four pictures here okay and now we’re going to have you rate your fits okay and let me know tell me a little bit about that this one this this was Supreme coat see this one

I I liked it but I I should have had the the coat opened up a little more you know I mean but it was smooth you know this was chill you know I mean I got the uh Travis Scott sixes on I think those are sixes with the uh it’s the custom

Gucci Pistons bag and it smooth little fit I mean I forgot where we was at but it was nowhere that I had to light I didn’t throw nothing crazy when you when you’re do you how early do you plan these fits out is it something you do day of or like right

Before you travel or is it you have them like planned out for months N Night some guys yeah I I go in the closet see what I got night before lay it out see how it look try it on in the back all right birthday foot yeah this was I think this was

Either the day after my birthday or something like that we had a game I always I mean majority of the time I’m going to be wearing wearing all black um and this kind of embodied that coat was fire it was cold perfect time to wear it

Look like a mink ain’t really a mink um leather pants I’m not too I’m not too much of like a leather pants guy like they couldn’t have been tight the they was tight I wouldn’t have War you just did it cuz it was birthday you got to do

Something a little different yeah it got to pop out a little bit so you know what I mean gave it a little suon little jinci bag it’s just the black on black on black on black on black so between these two black on black which one which

One you rating for higher oh which one I’m rting higher that these oh black on black all day black on black see it was better without the hat too but the Hat was smooth I ain’t mad at it you know what I mean I ain’t mad at it I feel like we

Got a lot of pic of you in that in that fit yeah I like that it stood out all right one this right here this is out Toronto this was smooth I really ain’t even like this fit that much I thought it was a little basic but it came out

Better than I thought you know what I mean little BGA went with the little green in the in the uh I think these is who the side War who just how wor pants with the m sweatshirt smooth you know what I mean can’t go wrong with the uh the

Phos that’s like a am I comparing this to another one yeah was let’s just keep ringing them with these oh let me put them in order let me get you right so right now this number one you know what I mean black black yeah black on black

Black on black see right here I don’t know because they both kind of chill but they like you know what I mean uh uh let me see that’s tough it’s a tough one that’s a tough one I might say that’s a tough one we going to come back

I got I got one more for you just cuz you was rocking the the top Patrick okay okay collab okay okay okay yeah I I ain’t going to lie I just I just loved how this sweatsuit like fit it was a great fit like it felt my body right you

I mean it was comfortable I a really try to do too much with it for sure shout out to Desiree yeah shout out to Desiree uh so give me three words to describe your style uh I don’t like to do too much like I and like all the while like it don’t

Have to be too crazy me I’m kind of just casual but like you might add a little little flare to it a little something to it but it’s just you know what I mean normal chill might just be jeans and something might just be sweats but put

It together so it look nice yeah is there anything else because I’ve also seen you just recently did something with our magazine uh is this a lane you see yourself going more into this fashion the modeling uh you was doing a little bit of everything in that yeah yeah I don’t

Know I don’t know I’m I’m dipping and dabbing I’m trying to see what I what I what I like what I want to do okay you know I mean I don’t know probably you you maybe see me I ain’t going to say no but maybe alleah air wants to know what

Are the three things what are your three mus haves three essential items that you have to bring whenever you travel all right so let me think three essential items Uh no brainer off the top got to be I would say Carmax Carmax is probably the first one because all the traveling you on the plane then you on TV can’t be on the white different locations different weather can’t have the white lips can’t

Do it can’t do it but let me think this this the other too uh let me think let me think let me think well I’m I’mma say I’mma say iPad only CU I do so much with it like I watch film on the plane so I watch my

Movies you know what I mean I do a lot with the iPad so I’ll be online shopping on the pad just it pass time like while we traveling I got to have my iPad I’m on it from the bus to the plane back to the bus to the hotel I don’t even watch

The TV I just watch my iPad so got to be the iPad you be having like movies downloaded on there already yeah oh yeah yeah yeah what’s the last few mov movies you watched I watched this movie called um I think it was like I it

Was like may I think it was Tom Cruz I think that’s his name it was like made America May y’all seen that you know I’m talk made it’s like on Netflix you know what I’m talking about what this called yeah yeah what’s that called that

Movie was fire I just watched it on the plane it was like made America something like that it was com Cru yeah it was fire I just watched that it was fire any other ones movies my favorite movie all time is Get Rich D try so I’ll just

Rewatch that over and over again you know what I mean also I mean the albums also yeah no you know second or enough it was a debate though ask you a question I’m going ask all yall question it was a debate in the locker room right

We said who I don’t know if it was who had a bigger impact or who was the better I don’t think it was who was who was the better artist but it might have been who had the bigger impact Little Wayne or 50 Cent during their time now

We know 50 cents probably was shorter yeah but just the impact it’s a tough one I said Wayne I’m I’m go with Wayne but it was an argument that 50 was you know what I mean I’m going with Wayne because I feel like he then ushered in a few more other more

Artists that kind of longer impact yeah exactly exactly what’s it called uh trans Setter yeah that’s what he is is but 50 still like no yeah 50 is 50 you can’t even you know what I mean he he did what he did but he ain’t no Wayne no he ain’t

Weezy uh and one one last essential one last essential uh you going to catch me with a fitted on so I probably say a fitted I pack like four or five of them one a wearing but just to have them just in case you bring four or five with

You on the road yeah even if it’s like a one one game trip yeah might might want to flip him out it’s just like whenever changing like boom I don’t like this one right now I might put the other one on you never know or I might just have them

Just in case I got to had a Fitts though do you switch them like so getting on the bus you have one have you ever then switch do all that I ain’t do all that it just depend on like what I’m wearing for the game or something I might put a

Fitted on and match the fit and then I might wear one to the plane that match what I’m wearing to the plane you feel me then it’s a mood thing like you got to wake up it’s like how am I feeling today exactly exactly all right thank

You for being here please shout out your socials where can people find you you can find me at the Pistons facility every day of the week the Henry Ford uh Detroit Pistons practice facility week on on social though where find me on Instagram at jayen DOR my

Name yeah all right and uh thanks everybody for watching this has been another episode of the official Detroit Pistons podcast thanks man and it’s a wrap that’s a wrap thanks for watching this episode of the official Detroit Pistons podcast like always like comment subscribe and wherever you’re watching

Or listening we also want you to rate so do all that for me and then know that there’s just more coming there’s more coming from Pistons TV have a good One

In this episode, we are joined by Jalen Duren, Center for the Detroit Pistons, who gives us an exclusive glimpse into his remarkable journey from Sharon Hill, PA, where his love for basketball was first sparked, to his rapid ascent in the NBA as one of its youngest players at just 20 years old. However, there’s more to Jalen than his on-court skills, so tune in as he discusses his endeavors off the court, his dedication to giving back to the Sharon Hill community, and his passion for fashion.

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