Incoming coach J.B. Bickerstaff is familiar with Duren’s game from his time as coach of division rival Cleveland. At his July introductory press conference, Bickerstaff talked of how the ability of Duren and teammate Isaiah Stewart to switch indiscriminately on defense troubled the Cavaliers. Bickerstaff can point to the development of Jarrett Allen, Cleveland’s seven-year veteran, and use his experience coaching him to hasten Duren’s grasp of the complexities of the tasks he’ll be assigned. There is plenty to work with. Duren is already an elite rebounder. He finished fifth in rebounding last season at 11.6 per game behind Domantas Sabonis, Rudy Gobert, Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic. Among players who averaged at least 20 minutes per game, Duren was second in rebound percentage (19.4) to Jusuf Nurkic and second to Sabonis in defensive rebound percentage (28.5). Don’t underestimate rebounding as a key component of defense.
