Detroit Pistons Center Jalen Duren Wins Award During Return From All-Star Week

After a tight race, Jalen Duren has secured the first NBA Eastern conference player of the week award of his career.

Duren is in the midst of his breakout season. He has properly arrived as an elite NBA talent and should be in the running for Most Improved Player of the year. This week of regular season action is just another example of Duren's two-way prowess.

Duren has proven to be much more than just a lob threat and a serviceable shot blocker. He's become a reliable second option and he's figuring how to maximize his athleticism on the offensive end. Duren isn't just a serviceable shot blocker, he alters offenses right at the rim whether it's through an arena-rocking swat or a strong vertical leap forcing a mid-shot pass.

The way he stuffed the stat sheet this week has rightfully earned him the honors.

Jalen Duren and Jarrett Alle — Feb 27, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) and Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) battle for a loose ball in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

A tight race between Tyrese Maxey and Duren

Philadelphia 76ers guard gave Duren some steep compition.

Tyrese Maxey has averaged 31.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 2.7 steals, and one block while shooting 41% from the field and 35% from behind the three-point line following the All-Star break. Maxey has carried the 76ers despite missing superstars and being the best player on his team as a shorter guard. He has single-handedly dominated certain games as an individual.

Duren dominated the stat sheet while his team made it out of the post-All-Star break gauntlet of a schedule they had to run through. Duren averaged 25.8 points, 13.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and one block throughout this stretch.

"Duren led Detroit in its first contest of the week, notching his 26th double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds against San Antonio on Feb. 23...Duren then tied a career-high 33 points to go with 16 rebounds, three assists and three blocks against Cleveland on Feb. 27, becoming only the second player in franchise history to record those minimums in a single game (Bob Lanier)."
Pistons.com

The Pistons are far ahead of the competition in the Eastern conference behind Jalen Duren and Cade Cunningham's leadership. They still hold the No. 1 seed in the East just as they have for most of this season. The No. 2 seed Boston Celtics are 5.5 games behind the Pistons and the No. 3 seed New York Knicks are seven games behind Detroit. They still lead the NBA in regular season win percentage as well.

The Pistons gauntlet continues tomorrow night against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena and then into San Antonio this Thursday to face the Spurs.