The thing about Duren is his strength and his explosiveness for his age and size, respectively. He's just a big strong motherfucker. He's a really good rebounder and shot blocker, he's an elite lob catcher, and he'll protect the rim with strength. He's the sort of dude who's a top 3 pick a decade ago.

Of course, he can't shoot, he's not a good passer, he can't defend the perimeter, and he doesn't always play with the consistency of motor you'd like to see. But maybe that's because he's a one-and-done of high pedigree. We've seen guys like Anthony Edwards and others, super athletes of high pedigree, just play when they want, more or less, and check out when they think the season isn't really what they thought it would be. So while I don't love that, I can't hold it completely against what his NBA future can be.

Ultimately, he just feels like a safe NBA big with some nice upside. If he plays with a more consistent motor, he could totally be a DeAndre Jordan type. Set physical screens, enforce inside, catch lobs, be an All-Defense sort of dude if all goes well. (Though I wonder how much we'll continue to see traditional drop-coverage bigs in All-Defense teams going forward. But that's a different post.) Worst case scenario, if he really can't defend the perimeter at all, he's still a guy who's in the league for over a decade as an off-the-bench backup big for a drop coverage team.