Basketball

Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren picked for USA Basketball Select Team

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6 months ago

June 28, 2024

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Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren picked for USA Basketball Select Team

Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren will spend part of his summer going up against the best basketball players the United States has to offer.

Duren was one of 15 players named to the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s Select Team on Friday and will help prepare the senior team for the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris coming up at the end of July.

The team is selected by former Pistons forward and 18-year NBA veteran Grant Hill, who now serves as the managing director of USA Basketball’s Men’s National Team.

“As a former member of the USA Select Team, I know how important and fun this opportunity is for each of these players,” Hill said in a statement Friday. “There is a tremendous amount of talent on this Select squad with the significant job of helping the 2024 USA Men’s National Team as they begin their journey to the Olympics. Each of these athletes will play a role in our preparation as we also develop the national team pipeline for the future.”

Duren played on the Select Team last year as well alongside his Pistons teammate, Cade Cunningham, who was a breakout star when practicing against the team that eventually played in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

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This year’s Select Team is headlined by graduating high school senior Cooper Flagg, who is set to head to Duke this fall. Former Pistons guard Langston Galloway was also picked to be on the team, as well as Nigel Hayes-Davis (Fenerbahçe, Turkey), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Golden State Warriors), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami Heat), Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets), Trey Murphy (New Orleans Pelicans), Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings), Brandin Podziemski (Golden State Warriors), Micah Potter (Utah Jazz/Salt Lake City Stars), Payton Pritchard (Boston Celtics), Jabari Smith Jr. (Houston Rockets), Jalen Suggs (Orlando Magic) and Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets).

The Select Team is led by Magic coach Jamahl Mosley and will feature assistants Jim Boylen (Indiana Pacers) and Matt Painter (Purdue).

Duren is coming off a sophomore campaign where he played in 61 games, averaging 13.8 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists, but didn’t really take the step forward that the Pistons needed him to on the defensive end.

As the Pistons try to rebound from their historically bad 14-68 record last year, Duren will have a chance to sharpen his tools this summer against some of the world’s best players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and more.