With Mitchell Robinson’s future in flux, could spending the 11th pick on one of the best centers in the class be a prudent move for the Knicks, or a wasted opportunity in a wing-driven league?

Position: C, Memphis

Age: 18

Height: 6 ft 10 in

Wingspan: 7 ft 5 in

Weight: 250 lbs

The Sales Pitch: It’s pretty simple: Jalen Duren is a physical marvel, a 6-foot-10, 250 lb. elite athlete who regularly punches shots off of the top of the square. He moves gracefully as a dancer, is capable of short roll passing and midrange mastery, and is still able to unleash bouts of targeted violence upon unsuspecting opponents. He didn’t even have a real point guard for most of the season. He has shown more skill than any 18-year-old athletic center has any right to show and is the clear successor to the legacies of Bam Adebayo, Jarrett Allen, and Onyeka Okongwu. 

Elite Traits/Skills: Athleticism, strength, rim protection

The Devil’s Advocate Argument: Duren being a wonderful brick of uncarved marvel is great and all, but are the Knicks going to use a high pick on a center? They have a couple great young ones, and even if they didn’t (if Mitch leaves this summer), this is a chance to take a swing on a ball handler or a wing — the players that make the league go round, not a center, the most replaceable position. Sure, he has a couple short roll passes, but he’s not particularly skilled dribbling or facing up, nor good at the free throw line. In this draft in particular, you can get a great center in the second round who might end up even better than Duren! 

The Misconceptions: Jalen Duren is a run and dunk, Mitch Robinson-style rim-runner. He has shown some serious short roll craft, and shoots over 40% on long jumpers with good mechanics. 

Important Numbers:

• 12/8/1/1/2: his points/rebounds/assists/steals/blocks in 25 minutes a game

• 22%: His DRB%

• 10%: His BLK%

• 20%: Percentage of his offense coming from cuts

• 68%: His FG% on cuts, an elite number

• 80%: His FG% in transition

• 71%: His FG% around the hoop on non-post-ups

• 25%: Percentage of his offense coming from post-ups

• 40%: His FG% on post-ups, not a good number. Thankfully, he’ll probably post up much less in the NBA

• .44: His free throw rate

• 70%: His FT% the last two months of the year

Knicks Fit: Boring, but solid. Even the best young centers take a couple years to learn the ins and outs of anchoring an NBA defense, but having a cheap center rotation of Sims/Duren or Mitch/Duren or some other combination would ensure the Knicks have rim protection for years to come. Additionally, he offers some real upside shooting, running, and for defensive scheme versatility, as he’s pretty comfortable on the perimeter, too. It would be on the Knicks to ensure he is more than just an athletic big, but they’ve had a sneaky history of strong defensive center play for some time now.