When the Milwaukee Bucks brought in Taylor Jenkins, they weren’t just hiring a coach with a clean playbook. They were betting on a style built around force, size and life in the paint. That’s why the trade buzz around Jalen Duren keeps coming up - he looks like the kind of big man who fits that vision almost perfectly.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick (subscription required), Milwaukee is one of only two teams with serious interest in Duren. The Bucks also have a veteran center in Myles Turner who could help balance out a deal, but Detroit’s front office has reportedly declined to engage in talks on that front for months.
The fit is easy to see if you look back at Jenkins’ best Memphis teams. His Grizzlies leaned into a punishing double-big look with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Steven Adams.
Adams did the ugly work: screening, banging, and cleaning the glass. That let Jackson Jr. play freer on the defensive end and stretch the floor on offense.
Milwaukee has tried to recreate something similar with Turner and Kel'el Ware, but the pairing still hasn’t quite taken hold. Both bigs bring skill, but they naturally drift toward the perimeter.
They’re more comfortable in space, as weak-side shot blockers and floor-oriented players. What Jenkins’ system really wants, though, is someone who embraces contact and turns the paint into a problem for opponents.
That’s where Duren enters the picture. At 22, he’s a straight-ahead force: no wandering to the 3-point line, just hard rolls, relentless rebounds and a constant physical presence around the rim. In the simplest terms, he’s the closest thing to a young Steven Adams that’s available right now.
A move like that would also give Milwaukee a clean way to move on from Turner’s contract. His first season with the Bucks was a clear step down from the appeal he carried before arriving. Per PBP Stats, Milwaukee was minus-6.03 points per 100 possessions with Turner on the floor, which means the Bucks were actually worse when their starting center played.
Until Duren decides what comes next in Detroit, the possibility stays alive.
From a basketball standpoint, the idea makes plenty of sense for the Bucks’ frontcourt, too. Ware would be freed up to play the more mobile, Jackson-like role, roaming, covering ground and chasing help-side blocks without having to wrestle bigger centers every night. Duren would handle the physical chores, clear space and set the tone inside.
If Milwaukee wants to give Jenkins the exact kind of interior presence his system calls for in the post-Giannis era, Duren is the kind of player who could make that whole thing click.
In Other News...
Draymond Green Just Turned Bucks Anxiety Into A Bigger Debate
Draymond Green has a way of turning one teams uncomfortable week into a league-wide conversation, and the Bucks found themselves in that spot after he weighed in on two separate podcast episodes. One topic was Tyler Herros photoshoot tribute to T.J. Ford, which Green criticized, and the other was the NBAs investigation into Milwaukee over possible salary cap circumvention involving Gary Trent Jr. Together, the remarks added another layer of scrutiny to a franchise already drawing attention for reasons it would rather keep quiet.
Green also spent time talking through what the league could do if the Bucks are found guilty, raising the stakes around a probe that is still hanging over the organization. His comments quickly became a point of debate for fans and former players alike, with the photoshoot criticism and the investigation both feeding a broader argument about how Milwaukee is being viewed right now. For a team trying to stay focused on basketball, the noise around it does not seem likely to fade soon. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Suddenly Have A Real Shot In Jalen Duren Drama
Jalen Durens contract situation in Detroit has become one of the more intriguing items on the NBA radar, and the Bucks are among the teams watching closely. The Pistons put a massive offer on the table, but Duren declined it, and theres now a looming deadline tied to a qualifying offer that could shape his next move. What made the whole thing even more notable was the inclusion of a weight clause in Detroits proposal, a detail that reportedly caught Duren and his camp off guard.
For Milwaukee, the appeal is obvious. The Bucks have shown interest, and any real opening around a young center with upside is worth monitoring, especially when the players current team is dealing with internal debate about his value. Whether Detroit can repair the relationship, or whether Duren decides his best path lies elsewhere, should come into focus soon, and the Bucks will be waiting to see how much of a shot this really becomes. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Are Treating Taylor Jenkins Like Far More Than A New Coach
The Bucks did not just swap out a coach this offseason, they made a point of signaling a broader change in tone. Taylor Jenkins arrived on a long-term deal after Milwaukee moved on from Doc Rivers, and the early messaging around him has been as much about setting a standard as it has been about drawing up plays. Co-owner Wes Edens offered pointed backing for Jenkins, leaning on the success he had in Memphis and framing the hire as a serious investment in where the franchise is headed.
At media day, the emphasis around Jenkins kept coming back to accountability and growth, the kind of language teams usually use when they want to show a clean break from the previous chapter. For Milwaukee, the appeal seems to be bigger than a fresh voice on the sideline. Jenkins is being positioned as someone who can shape the day-to-day culture, steady the locker room and push the group toward a higher level, which makes his first season here feel like more than a standard coaching change. [Read more 🡒]