Why the Duren and Williams frontcourt works well
Deandre Williams looked at Jalen Duren and flashed his best aw-shucks smile.
Seated side-by-side in front of a room full of local reporters after they helped lead the Memphis basketball team to an 89-65 season-opening win over Tennessee Tech Tuesday night, Duren was asked to explain the motivation behind an ambitious one-handed dunk attempt early in the second half. The 6-foot-11 freshman admitted he tried to leapfrog the defender who stood between his launch point (just inside the free throw line) and the hoop.
“I mean, I get excited,” said Duren, who didn't complete the dunk and was whistled for an offensive foul in the process. “(But), it's Dre. So, Dre kind of turned me up.”
That minor blemish notwithstanding, Duren's account of what prompted it could have easily been a description of the entire game while the new teammates were on the floor at Fedex Forum together. And it's got many hoping it spans the entirety of the 2021-22 season.
Duren, the 17-year-old projected lottery pick, and Williams, the seasoned 25-year-old emotional leader, provided the perfect complement to one another in Memphis' bolstered frontcourt. Duren dunked his way to 15 points and became the first player since at least 2010 to rack up as many as five blocks in his debut. Williams put up an efficient 12 points, the 10th time in his last 11 games he's hit double-digits. When one scored, it fueled the other to do the same. When one blocked a shot, his cohort wanted to match it.
“We kind of feed off each other's energy,” Williams said.
And, if they can maintain or perhaps strengthen their rapport as the season progresses, coach Penny Hardaway will have a hard time separating the two. Especially since their value – specifically in tandem – goes well beyond impressive statistics and wow moments for Hardaway.
“Yeah, they were very dominant. You know, those are two very dynamic players – Jalen at the five and Deandre at the four,” he said. “(But) what makes them play really well together (is) they
have high energy and they want to do what it takes for us to win as a team. They're both unselfish and all they want to do is win.”
Duren finished with a positive plus-minus of 33 in 31 minutes, while Williams was positive 21 in 22 minutes. Hardaway was particularly impressed by Duren's defensive showing, singling out the fact that he never got beat off the dribble despite spending the majority of the game guarding guards.
“I mean, you think about it, we switched every pick-and-roll, every dribble handoff,” said Hardaway. “(He) never gave up an off-the-dribble move. And, as far as protecting the rim, we just told him, ‘Hey, go after every shot block.' If he didn't block it, he was altering it. You can't ask for much more.”
Williams, who was as reliable and consistent as it got for Memphis last season, took a bit of a backseat on offense in the two exhibition games. He scored a total of 13 points in 35 minutes, something
Hardaway said was by design. But, prior to Tuesday's opener, Hardaway also acknowledged how integral Williams is to the overall operation.
“I'm not dumb enough not to know that he is a guy that needs the ball in his hands,” Hardaway said. “We need to have him take advantage of those bigs because he's faster. He's more athletic. He's almost like a guard playing a big spot. So, we're going to find spots to get him the ball so he can be more electric offensively.”
Williams walked off the floor Tuesday able to fully process what having Duren by his side means for the future.
“The sky is the limit,” he said. “I just feel like we're going to keep elevating throughout the season.”
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.