Jalen Duren

Poised and composed during their late-game test against a perennial postseason contender, the Detroit Pistons found that with time — and timeouts, for that matter — working in their favor, victory required just one final touch: a well-timed play of their own. Drawn up on the coach’s whiteboard to potentially accomplish just that, Jalen Duren elevates to the challenge, working a revolving door-type back screen, freeing his cut for a wide-open lob attempt with Bam Adebayo trailing helplessly. Rewarding his teammate’s pinpoint pass with equal around-the-rim accuracy, Duren flushes in an alley-oop, tying the score with 1.1 seconds remaining. Evoking frustration from the opposition, Duren’s heads-up play encouraged the Miami Heat’s coach to call a timeout with none left, prompting both a most-unlikely technical foul, and memories of a different Michigan-based team some three decades before. Duren, in guiding Detroit’s eventual victory, helped ensure a positive ending with one of the celebrated five Wolverines in attendance, collecting eight points (on four-of-five shooting), 11 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks on November 12, 2024.