Jalen Duren on Detroit’s Bad Boy Revival & Turning Down The Bag

00:00:00
Speaker 1: What's up world, Welcome back to this this edition Unplugged Boy Stack five, I got the og Max in here with me holding it down. Maxson will getting to the money as usual. Shout out to my brother today. Man, we got we got a dope show man. We got one of the best big men in the league, the ank of the number one seed in the East, Big fellow Jalen Durham Man. Welcome to the show, unplug Man. Thanks for coming on. How you doing, bro good Man, I'm good. Thanks for having me.

00:00:26
Speaker 2: Yes, sir, started off. Man.

00:00:29
Speaker 1: We're gonna call you JD because I know that I know that's what all the crew call you over there, Detroit Man, Big JD.

00:00:35
Speaker 2: So we're gonna call you JD. Man. You first year All Star. Congrats on that, man.

00:00:39
Speaker 1: Twenty points a game, eleven rebounds by shooting sixty five percent from the field. Team won sixty games for the third time in Piston history. Two years ago y'all lost twenty eight games, and now y'all a number one seed heading to the playoffs in the East.

00:00:53
Speaker 2: Just tell me quickly, just just.

00:00:55
Speaker 1: To change and the culture change that y'all be able to bring and shift over there, Detroit.

00:01:00
Speaker 3: Yeah, man's been it's been great. I think I always get the most credit to JB. You know, what he's been able to do since he came in. It kind of set like a standard and expectations to like how he wants us to play and what he wants to see every night. We just try to, you know, apply that to the best of our abilities. Man, We try to go out there and see his expectation and play to our standard.

00:01:23
Speaker 2: Yeah, shout out, shout out coach JB.

00:01:24
Speaker 1: Man, He's somebody that I never got a chance to play for, but he was somebody that always talked to him, was always sild doing our career. He's just a real he wanted a real one, a rare one at that, and uh, it's good to see him having It's good to see him having success.

00:01:39
Speaker 2: Y'all.

00:01:39
Speaker 1: Y'all kind of remind us of the nineties two thousand pisces me kind of our Erica, big physical, don't take no ship. Does that mindset come from just that Detroit field? That something that y'all brought back on yall own.

00:01:52
Speaker 3: Yeah, honestly speaking, like a lot of people would think, like, you know, we just try to copy the earlier teams at Detroit had but I think, like, just to a man, that's just how we feel.

00:02:04
Speaker 2: That's just how we.

00:02:04
Speaker 3: Play, you know, guys like Stu me I saw Ron Holland, Like that's just just who we are as characters. And it came together and like I said, I'm gonna go back to j V Man. You know, his his character, his mentality kind of fit and the jailed with everything.

00:02:19
Speaker 4: So it's just, you know, it was like a match man in heaven with y'all practice.

00:02:22
Speaker 5: I want to ask you this question. Now, how's the battles in practice now? Is it physical like y'all playing the damn game or just y'all just take Okay, that's my boy.

00:02:32
Speaker 6: I'm gonna let him go. Do you know it's a price I want to know about that.

00:02:37
Speaker 3: Now we get to it. We get to it, man, we get to it. Is the f used this and.

00:02:45
Speaker 6: That's I want to That's what I want to guess.

00:02:49
Speaker 4: That's right, that's right, Yeah, that's that's how we make each other better.

00:02:55
Speaker 5: Hey, and my boy, man, this is my guy now, K cunning him man. I've been knowing him ever since he played in high school.

00:03:00
Speaker 6: So that's my guy. K So telling mad Max say, what's up to?

00:03:03
Speaker 5: Yeah, but okay with the collapse long all right, and I mean I mean that was a I mean that took away from him winning the m v P.

00:03:12
Speaker 6: Right, you know what do you think about that?

00:03:15
Speaker 3: It's a tough on man, because me like non biased, but I do actually think he was more than deserving of that award and I know that's something that that he has on his his bucket list. But also at the same time, he the type of guy like I don't think he's like dwelling on it too much because we're chasing something a little bit bigger. Absolutely, but man, I do feel for him and not being able to kind of, you know, check off that box and his accomplishments.

00:03:43
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's right.

00:03:44
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I think with k he has a he has a lot of time. I think I think he will eventually check that box. With the way y'all planning, the way y'all going together, he will definitely have another another opportunity.

00:03:55
Speaker 2: It's just the minor setback for the major to come back, Kay.

00:03:58
Speaker 1: But with with having a point guard like Dennis and stepping up, stepping up his game and have another guy stepping up, I know, the confidence doesn't change. And I know with a coach like the coach like JB, he hasked y'all ready to play? But what is the mindset you know when knowing guys, you know, in order just you take a game by game in the playoffs, what is the mindset of guys thinking that I might have to be the guy to step up to get us to the next round.

00:04:23
Speaker 3: It's always been next man up mentality with us. You know, the world might look at it as like, oh, it's one guy with two guys. Let team now we're one through fifteen, one through eighteen, whatever it is. You know, that's why you see guys like unfortunately when got got hurt, you know, Danni stepped up and he was that he was our point guard.

00:04:41
Speaker 2: You know, he.

00:04:43
Speaker 3: Facilitated, he controlled the offense, and he did what he's supposed to do. And that's something that the world probably didn't expect. But everybody in the organizations that's been here, that's seen him since they won, you already knew what type of player he was and didn't expect nothing less.

00:04:56
Speaker 1: With with with you, I see, I see a lot of them you coming from philling that you man, I know, I know you have I know you have a lot of that grit, that grit and and wanted to make it out of there. The way you play, the attitude, just just that confidence coming from Philly. Just give me, just give me a quick, uh a quick story about about your upbringing and and and making it out of Philly playing basketball.

00:05:17
Speaker 4: Coming up. You know, had my mom, older sister, younger brother.

00:05:21
Speaker 7: Uh.

00:05:22
Speaker 3: For me, I was always bigger than everybody. You know, they thought I was older that I was always dealing with that.

00:05:33
Speaker 2: I know, I was like he was holding him back. They held him back three years, They held him back.

00:05:43
Speaker 3: Bringing the versatilicate to to every game. Yeah, it was. It was a hassle. It was a hassle. But I didn't even start taking basketball serious until I got to high school, like my freshman sophomore year, and from there kind of just took off for me. Just just understanding what work and looked like, understand in it with being great looks like understanding what like actually grinding for something looks like From there, man just just was chasing the dream man happen to get here and now you know, keep stagging that.

00:06:13
Speaker 1: Yeah, started at Memphis now, first time all star bro, and uh and seeing you work to be the number one uh being a big man a number one team in the East.

00:06:22
Speaker 2: Man, I salute your bro. Congratulations on that. Isaiah Stewart, let's talk about him. How is it?

00:06:29
Speaker 3: How is he as a teammate? Man, that's my brother? Man, that's my Brother's probably one of the best teammates I ever had. And it's and it's not even it's not even for like the probably the extra stuff that you see and all that goes on. It's just a simple fact that who he is as a man like man, the man, he's man, he's my guy. He's a guy you could talk to his guy. He's a guy that's always going to be there for you. He's a guy that as a teammate you wouldn't want nobody else. He's a guy that you hate to play against but love to play with. Yeah. Yeah, I wouldn't ask nobody, nobody else to be on my squad.

00:07:03
Speaker 2: Hey.

00:07:03
Speaker 5: So uh yeah, you guys man off the court, man, how your relationship is off the court? Y'all guys seem like y'all a close knit team. I mean the way y'all got the box going for the game. Y'all after jamming before you come out there on the floor. I mean, I mean, is that genuine or I mean is that ship the way you know it looks to me and looks real good?

00:07:22
Speaker 6: I bet that this motherfucker's real close.

00:07:25
Speaker 5: So it doesn't carry off the court too? And on the court, is that is that genuine?

00:07:29
Speaker 2: Yeah?

00:07:30
Speaker 4: It does? It does carry on. I think it starts.

00:07:33
Speaker 3: It started with like the guys who've been here through like you know, through those years of us losing and and and not really being the competitive team. And then it's grown so like I guess we could say the core guys who've been there, like the at Me dude, Stu Marcus as like the guys who've been here, we kind of all built something like a relationship by us being around the same age and just you know, connecting with different things. And then as we got and more teammates, like last year was these Tim Harder win and everybody like this year is Dunk Kevin Herder. Yeah, I'm probably missing on things, but just everybody has coming and just brought into what we're building, you know. I mean, I think even off the court, we do a lot of things together. We do a lot of like players dinners that we just get together a lot, you know the game. You know, we just just do our thing. You know, we all have similar interest We spend a lot of time together.

00:08:25
Speaker 1: You gotta you gotta credit that the JB. Did y'all get a chance to enjoy three one three day?

00:08:31
Speaker 3: Did we get a chance to enjoy that? I think we got the double one three one three day.

00:08:35
Speaker 2: Okay, that's even bad. Yeah, that's a fact.

00:08:40
Speaker 1: Yeah, you took a big jump this year from eleven point eight points to nineteen point five and me being in Bay player, I know that credits to all the work and the time you're putting in the gym.

00:08:51
Speaker 2: Can you speak on that?

00:08:52
Speaker 3: Yeah, man, I think I think this summer, like coming into this season was probably the best summer I've had in terms of just taking care of my body. I think I came into the season like just a great and a great space man and then working on my game, you know, two of days, three days, just really getting after, really getting after. I felt like my mindset was, yeah, I'm going in the year four, But I kind of wanted to like make a statement, like I felt like it was like time to kind of like Okay, who you're going to be in this league. It was just like what you're gonna do? Like, no more, I'm no longer a young player, I'm no longer a rookie.

00:09:25
Speaker 4: For year. Second year, I felt like I just had to kind of establish myself. Yeah, you're doing that.

00:09:30
Speaker 1: You look after you look comfortable doing that coming into the season. Handling the ball more. Is that something that you and JB talked about? Is that just natural?

00:09:39
Speaker 2: Yeah?

00:09:39
Speaker 3: I think that's in terms of the ability, I think it is somewhat natural. I've definitely worked on it to tighten it up and you know, become a better ball handler and attacking Diggs and finishing around the room. But that is a conversation that me and JB had early on, you know, like during the summer team workouts. He was just telling me that the jump that he was expecting me to take, how he wanted me to be be more aggressive offensively and use my advantages. And from there, I mean, you gave me that green light. I just took it.

00:10:07
Speaker 1: That's why you was able to take such a big lead because I don't think a lot of teams knew you had all that in your game. Now you cut bringing it up, going between your legs, finishing. Remember, like a lot of stuff that a lot of people didn't know you had, but I could tell you. I could tell you worked on it from from from from your upbringing. Did you grow up on the playing on the parks, working on your handles?

00:10:29
Speaker 2: That type of game? Are you? Are you grew up in the Y m c A Leagues? Like that?

00:10:34
Speaker 3: I feel like he was outside. I was outside getting up and down generation yeah, because then you know, because you know it ain't outside.

00:10:44
Speaker 5: Bro Well, he and Philly and feeling and peeling and Philly when I was there, Philly, Now, the motherfuckers that's all they did was play outside on.

00:10:53
Speaker 6: That damn black tart. I was like, God, damn these niggas I.

00:10:57
Speaker 2: Lived in years.

00:10:59
Speaker 5: Yeah, okay, yeah, so uh, you came in the league at eighteen.

00:11:04
Speaker 6: Who was some of your old.

00:11:06
Speaker 5: G's on your rookie team man, and your rookie season whatever how you want to put.

00:11:10
Speaker 4: It, rookie Ye, my rookie year, I would say.

00:11:16
Speaker 3: I had my favorite vet is for sure, Alec Burks a B A B was that was he was probably my most solid vet. We had Bogdanovitch Bogie Bogie was tough. He was Corey Joseph Rodney Ruder, Corey Jo. Yeah, I had a couple of good bets. Yeah, yeah, Yeah, that's some good bets for sure.

00:11:39
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00:11:44
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00:13:11
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00:13:13
Speaker 7: Instacash is subject to terms and eligibility requirements Expbedati delivery requires a turbot feed seemoneyline dot com. The playoffs are here and I'm gonna break down a couple matchups. This breakdown is brought to you by DraftKings First Series Rockets at the Lakers KD versus bron We all know Luca and Ar down right now end up filming this early, but this is what I think with this series, this is what I'm looking for Game one. I feel like KD and Lebron will both be over twenty five points as they're slated at for the Lakers that have a chance in this series, I feel like a lot of pressures are gonna have to rely on andre Aton. They have them at thirteen. I feel like he needs to be much more than that. I feel like he needs to be in the eighteen to nineteen point range plus eleven or twelve rebounds, two or three blocks. I really feel like he has to be the self proclaimed dominating the name he gave himself. So for the Lakers to be competitive in this series, I'm gonna need to see a lot out andre Aden and who I'm taking in Game one, I'm gonna take the Rockets to come in La and steal one on the Lakers' home court.

00:14:17
Speaker 2: Next game, Wolve's going to Denver. So this has been a great matchup.

00:14:21
Speaker 7: These teams have met in the last three of the four playoffs so far as one in one, so something's got to give. I'm expecting Ant to go over twenty five and Jokis to go over thirty, but My key guy is Aaron Gordon. I think they have him at sixteen. I think he needs to be in that sixteen to eighteen point range with some rebounds, but also his versatility on defense and ability to knock down the three point shot. Is gonna be big or Denver if they're gonna get past Minnesota Game one, I'm taking the home team. I'm taking the Nuggets to protect home court. Play alongside of me all playoff long.

00:15:00
Speaker 2: With with y'all.

00:15:01
Speaker 1: With the team doing so well and making a lot of noise in the city. You know, the basketball is a big part of Detroit. Even the rap scene. The rap scene is on another level. You got you got Detroit rappers. It's basically with the sound right now for hip hop with with with the city on the high right now. How is that feeling being a part of a new feeling in the Detroit area.

00:15:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's been great man. The city. Man, the city shows so much love. Like I feel like the city shows so much love and everything, like all the sports teams, the music whatever, like whatever success is coming out of the city, they you know what I mean, they back it. I think even the rappers though, like these big Sean Yeah, the game.

00:15:44
Speaker 4: They all love forty two, Doug. Yeah, like they all show love.

00:15:49
Speaker 8: Man.

00:15:49
Speaker 4: It's like, man, it's been it's been great, man. I loved it. Yeah, yeah, I know.

00:15:54
Speaker 2: I feel good.

00:15:55
Speaker 1: They had the city behind you. You came in the game at eighteen at A team as well, and we both grew up in the AAU scene.

00:16:04
Speaker 2: But it looks a little different now. It's a lot of flawed.

00:16:06
Speaker 1: You know, it's a lot of money involved, it's a lot of flying kids in and a lot of kids are not getting the opportunities that we got naturally organically.

00:16:16
Speaker 2: Give me your opinion on the AU scene now. It's bad.

00:16:26
Speaker 4: Definitely change, it's changed, man.

00:16:31
Speaker 2: I don't want to.

00:16:32
Speaker 3: I don't want to be biased towards my time and say it's not as good now as it was.

00:16:37
Speaker 4: But yeah, I don't.

00:16:40
Speaker 3: I don't think there's too much development going on in AU as much as it should be. I don't think. I don't hear it. I don't hear of any AAU team's practicing. I don't hear about none of that.

00:16:49
Speaker 2: You know.

00:16:49
Speaker 3: I know guys are doing their own thing, you know, with their trainers and one on ones and all that, But I don't think you was where it used to get.

00:16:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, the aspect of actually playing again, aim to get better as lost.

00:17:01
Speaker 3: My whole Mount Verd process. My thought process was like at that time, I was coming up for sophomore year. I had played two years at my school in Philly and my high school Roman Catholic, and I feel like where I was at that point, I was, I was better than my surroundings. Like I feel like, you know, you smartest man in the room, you should leave that room, one of them type of things.

00:17:23
Speaker 4: I felt like I just I needed to know a challenge.

00:17:26
Speaker 3: So I felt Mount Verd playing on the national schedule, you know their history, of the other guys that they have since the league, it just made sense for me at that time. So I had to make that jump, and I think I think that I think it worked out for me.

00:17:39
Speaker 4: It was great.

00:17:39
Speaker 5: Hey jd A, all right, you really took a bet on yourself this past summer. Man. I mean, I guess I don't know if you turned down this stenchion or whatever, but this past I mean it was elgible.

00:17:50
Speaker 6: For a big ass deal.

00:17:51
Speaker 4: Man.

00:17:52
Speaker 5: God damn this off season, I mean, especially we know you're going to make you know, the whole NBA team. So I mean, but ship shout out to you brother. Congratulations man, congratulations on that man. But they better get ready to back back up that damn Brink truck. Goddamn dumb it all the man, But talk about that man, you pass.

00:18:11
Speaker 2: Talking about the Brinks truck.

00:18:12
Speaker 6: That damn I want to hear about that breaks truck. Better back up this summer.

00:18:19
Speaker 2: Now.

00:18:20
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm all God willing man. You know I'm God willing man. That's right that you bring that to me. I'll be more than happy. But I think, like you said, man, just just better than myself. I don't think the team, you know, did anything wrong. I think you know, they just were in one place one haad space, I was in another. You know, we just couldn't come to agree at that time. But like you said, hopefully the summer will be able. We'll be able to get something done.

00:18:46
Speaker 6: That's gonna happen, that's gonna have.

00:18:49
Speaker 1: Absolutely all right, man, we are, We're gonna were gonna let you get out here.

00:18:52
Speaker 2: Man.

00:18:52
Speaker 1: We know you you're getting your body ready for the for the playoffs and stuff like that.

00:18:56
Speaker 2: Quick hitters. Man.

00:18:58
Speaker 1: I don't like to say and force us because they used to call me in forces. I was just somebody that didn't take no ship. I'm a man first, you know what I'm saying.

00:19:04
Speaker 2: So like I didn't.

00:19:05
Speaker 1: I didn't go in the games looking for problems. I'm not trying to be for nobody. I just didn't take no ship.

00:19:10
Speaker 2: Right, give me your top five guys in NBA history that you feel didn't take no ship.

00:19:17
Speaker 4: I'm gonna go Stu. Yep, I'm gonna go.

00:19:20
Speaker 3: Uh from what I've seen, what's his name, Quincy Quincy quin.

00:19:29
Speaker 4: That's yeah. Yeah, I'm trying to think.

00:19:38
Speaker 2: I'm gonna go.

00:19:39
Speaker 4: I'm gonna go Isaiah Thomas for su'all. I'm dog. He said they didn't take no ship. Let me think, mm hmmm.

00:19:51
Speaker 2: You got a couple on that ship.

00:19:54
Speaker 5: Ship?

00:19:57
Speaker 4: Yeah, that is That's what I didn't want to take. It makes sense.

00:20:03
Speaker 2: God, damn.

00:20:07
Speaker 6: God, damn bear all the motherfuckers.

00:20:10
Speaker 5: The wow.

00:20:13
Speaker 7: R.

00:20:16
Speaker 2: Yeah, but you're with the right organization.

00:20:22
Speaker 3: Yeah too, Sorry, can't go wrong, big fellas talk that ship. That's four. That's four. Let me I got one more lenything that ain't take those ship. I'm trying to think of who was really on that. I don't know I might put you on that, Jack, I.

00:20:51
Speaker 2: Don't nobody Max, you know me? That's yeah, I ain't got no.

00:21:03
Speaker 6: Time a nigga back dirty.

00:21:05
Speaker 4: Ain't not wrong with.

00:21:05
Speaker 5: That, hey, J D J D. Now they our producer put a goddamn album. But I know you don't know nobody, no, no goddamn album. I'm gonna put c D. Now what CD would you listen to? Just because it ain't no they said the album you.

00:21:25
Speaker 6: Don't know nobody, no damn album.

00:21:26
Speaker 4: So I'm gonna put into CD.

00:21:28
Speaker 6: So what CD would you listen to?

00:21:30
Speaker 4: A little soon about.

00:21:32
Speaker 2: Flipping them off over album playing a big fello might have some vinyls A oh man, you never know. Man, I'm just.

00:21:40
Speaker 8: Saying saying, that's what I'm saying. Don't sleep, Okay, I listen to I honestly by Duism.

00:21:55
Speaker 2: Man great from Texas Bro. That's a great call. That's a great call.

00:22:00
Speaker 4: That's I'm going by doing for sure.

00:22:03
Speaker 2: What do you do to take your mind off the game?

00:22:06
Speaker 3: I'm a big movie guy, man, I'm a big like music and movie guy. So like at the games, you know that adrenaline running is you know you still got thoughts about what you could have did better what happened, whether it was good, where it's bad, whatever the case may be. I'm a big like music or movie guy. So if it's one one night, might be like I'm gonna just chill on the couch, beat my day, listen to some music, or I'm gonna watch a good ass movie, an old movie, you know. I don't know if that seen New Jersey Drive or yeah, class class, I mean something, just get my mind off.

00:22:42
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:22:44
Speaker 2: Yeah, So that's how you.

00:22:45
Speaker 1: Okay, you do congression, Get you a good movie, a good a nice little meal, and just wind down.

00:22:50
Speaker 2: What's the best Piston Jersey of all time?

00:22:52
Speaker 4: Best one all time?

00:22:55
Speaker 2: Y'all?

00:22:56
Speaker 3: Have y'all got some nice sto style like with Jersey style. Yeah, I don't know. I think the easy answer would be the same.

00:23:03
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:23:04
Speaker 1: You got Isaiah Thomas Raw, you got the chance of billaps era, and you got y'all era.

00:23:09
Speaker 2: Say that great era?

00:23:11
Speaker 5: Yeah, tell yeah.

00:23:15
Speaker 1: That that that was one. Yeah, but that was that. That was a lot of Isaiah. And the uniform too, They just they just made them a little longer. It was really kind of the same uniform. Yeah, they just made they just made they start making them a.

00:23:30
Speaker 3: Little bitter, don't tell Yeah yeah, UHM the ones.

00:23:38
Speaker 5: J D.

00:23:38
Speaker 1: Man once again, Bro, I want to tell you, uh hell of the year.

00:23:43
Speaker 6: Man.

00:23:43
Speaker 1: You know I wish I number success in the playoffs to see where you come from to the player you made yourself to be an All Star, first team All NBA coming soon and no telling how far y'all gonna go. Y'all possibly NBA champion Man. I just want to continue to wish you all the luck in the world.

00:23:58
Speaker 2: Man. Thank you for coming in on the show. Uh this.

00:24:01
Speaker 1: You can catch us on all the smoke products and YouTube YouTube DraftKings Network once again me and Max this is unplugged.

00:24:08
Speaker 2: We'll see y'all next Weekiate you JD. Must love good luck man in the playoffs. Man, Yes, I appreciate your problem.

00:24:14
Speaker 6: Thanks you, no doubt.

00:24:20
Speaker 2: M