Jalen Duren declares for 2022 NBA Draft: Memphis star departing for pros after notable freshman season

Duren was the AAC Freshman of the Year and is now a potential lottery pick after reclassifying

Memphis star center Jalen Duren is declaring for the NBA Draft after a standout freshman season with the Tigers. Duren earned AAC Freshman of the Year honors and a spot on the All-AAC First Team after helping lead Memphis to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.

The former five-star prospect is considered a likely lottery pick in the draft after meeting the recruiting hype he generated as a prospect who reclassified from 2022 to join the Tigers this past season. Despite skipping a year, Duren had little trouble adjusting to the physicality of college basketball. The 6-foot-10 bruiser recorded nine double-doubles in 29 games.

Duren finished the season averaging 12 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game while playing a key role as the Tigers turned their season around following a poor start. Duren ranked third nationally among all true freshmen in blocks per game behind DaRon Holmes II of Dayton and Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren.

"It was a great challenge. Making the NCAA tournament and playing in front of the whole world on national television. Huge game atmospheres," Duren told ESPN. "I learned a lot and it really helped my growth and development. During the season we dealt with a lot of injuries, we couldn't quite get the chemistry right on the court. Once we got everyone back, it helped the team and my game. I started to understand the game better. Help defenses. How opponents were guarding me. I noticed that more as the season went on and that allowed me to do a lot more."

Jalen Duren's NBA Draft projection

Duren gets compared to Dwight Howard, and it's easy to see why. Their physical frames and statistical profiles are similar. Like Howard, Duren is 6-foot-10, built like a tank and particularly skilled in the areas of rebounding and shot-blocking. Duren isn't much of an outside threat, but he is an excellent lob threat who can take a dish from a guard and finish on just about anyone. 

Duren is projected to go No. 8 overall to the Spurs in Kyle Boone's latest mock draft and ranked the No. 8 overall draft prospect by Boone, who describes Duren as "a board-crashing big who can finish above the rim and act as a constant lob threat."

Impact on Memphis 

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway pulled off an 11th hour recruiting splash by landing Duren and fellow five-star prospect Emoni Bates last August, and the assumption all along was that both would stay just one year. Having Duren was great, but the Tigers are used to this routine by now. In 2020-21, they had AAC Freshman of the Year center Moussa Cisse at center before he transferred to Oklahoma State. In 2019-20, they had AAC Freshman of the Year Precious Achiuwa in the frontcourt before he declared for the NBA Draft after one season.

There is no one committed to Memphis' 2022 recruiting class, which likely means that Hardaway plans to lean heavily on the transfer portal to restock his roster. But there are some quality frontcourt options already on the roster who could help replace Duren. Among them is Malcom Dandridge, a journeyman role player with the program who has provided consistent minutes as a backup center over the past three seasons.