Jalen Duren showcases impressive skills in recent NBA workout

I've seen him play against some of the best players in the world, and he's been dominant. The moment I was called up for the draft, I had a lot of mixed emotions. I felt like I had the opportunity to take care of my family, so I took it. One of my goals in life is for everybody around me to be where they want to be in life. You want to dunk on me? Yeah, I'll dunk on you. On the court, off the court, the world is at his palm. I'm Jalen Dorian, and I play basketball. I've been involved in basketball probably since 8th and 9th grade. Around my sophomore year, I started to get better at it, so I started to develop a love for it. I play, you know, in Sharon Hill, my neighborhood. The outside basketball in Philly is as big as it is in New York, we just don't get the highlight on it. Attending Roman Catholic was like a huge part of my career in terms of just building me as a person and a player, getting me ready for the next level. Jalen's growth is honestly tremendous, for real. Just from being in the seventh grade where he couldn't dribble and look left at the same time to where he's at now, it's just, it's amazing to see. I've seen him play against some of the best players in the world and he's been dominant at USA Basketball through his career as a young high school player he didn't back down from anyone of course Matt Griffin taught me and kind of helped mature me not only in basketball but as a man as a young kid coming in not really having like an understanding on what I wanted to do with basketball but just kind of playing because you know I was tall coach Matt helped me find my way with it early his skill set is versatile he can do a lot of things on the basketball court from a defensive perspective from From an offense perspective, he's a very, very good decision maker, and he understands spacing at a high level, so he picks his spots really well. At age 19, to be able to do that at such a high level, I think it covers a broad set of skills. The moment I was called up for the draft, I had a lot of mixed emotions. There was a lot going through my head, but I was happy to just kind of take that next step and be in the league. I just felt like it was my time. I felt like I was ready. It's been my dream since I started taking ball serious. I felt like I had the opportunity to take care of my family, so I took it. Honestly, I didn't really care where I went. I was just, like I said, happy to be in the NBA. What I love most about playing in Detroit is the pride of the city, the fan base, how much they support the team, how much they love the team, and just the organization itself. It's like a family atmosphere. It's amazing that, as such a young man in the NBA with veterans up to age 38, that he carries himself in such a mature, professional way. He's had the spotlight on him for such a long time, and he's remained humble throughout the entire process. I have the guys working on there. One dribble pull-up, two dribble pull-up, catch and shoot, jab series. It's helping Jalen get more comfortable with the ball. Although he plays on the post a lot and down low, I like for him to come out here and just get comfortable dribbling the ball, feeling the ball, and shooting the ball. I've been training with Mike for a couple of years now. He's more than just a trainer, he's like a big brother to me, a mentor. Coach Matt and Mike went to college together, so they kind of already had like a relationship, a bond. Jalen hasn't had a normal summer like most players. Most people have off-season where they can relax. Jalen's has been busy because once the season ended, we had to prepare for Summer League, and then once we did that, we had to prepare for Team USA. We work on different things every day, but kind of keep the same foundation. One day it might be conditioning, one day it might be just strength, one day it might just be straight skill work. We always keep it to where I'm always gaining something and getting 1% better every day. Everything I do with Jalen is for Jalen. It's nothing I did with anybody else. It's not one size fits all. Yo, we just finished this workout. You know what I mean? About to head to Jalen Dorian Day. Go out there, enjoy our time with the folks, with the kids, with the whole community. Ready to go. Jalen Dorian Day is a day for the kids, for the family, for the community, everybody to come out and just enjoy themselves. A year ago, around this time, I had got the key to my city, and he announced me having a day in a summer league like the youth, you know, this is the time that kid's about to go back to school, so this is the time for them to have fun, you know what I mean, and get outside. He's a beautiful soul. He's generous with his time and his energy. He's positive, and I think he's just friendly. He's a great young man, and he's got great core values, which at a young age, at 19 years old, that is different. He doesn't take days off. There's a reason why he is where he is, even on the days where he's resting his body, he's finding ways to get better. No days off, to me, means you're always working on yourself, always kind of trying to get that extra step ahead. I'm trying to find y'all, but y'all can't just stand. You know what I mean? Move around. Get the bucket. You said you were going to get 25. You said you were going to get 25. One of my goals in life is for everybody around me to be where they want to be in life and to feel comfortable in their positions and what they're doing. On the court, off the court, the world is at his palms. If he put his mind to it, I think he can achieve everything that he set his goals out to do.