Daniss Jenkins Has Arrived
The Detroit Pistons have found a promising young player in Daniss Jenkins, who is making a strong case for a bigger role on Detroit's roster.
The Detroit Pistons may have found a diamond in the rough.
Daniss Jenkins, an undrafted guard out of St. John’s, is making quite an impression for the red-hot Detroit Pistons.
Vaulted into Detroit’s rotation after injuries ravaged the roster over the last few weeks, Jenkins has emerged as a valuable piece for a team desperate for depth at the guard spot.
Jenkins’ last four games:
• 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists
• 18 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
• 19 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds
• 14 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
Without Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Marcus Sasser, and Ausar Thompson, the Pistons have been incredibly thin on ball-handlers and offensive initiators.
Jenkins has stepped up and played a crucial role for Detroit during this stretch.
His performance has been so significant that he was even nominated for the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award. Jalen Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks ultimately won the honor.
The crazy part?
Jenkins is only on a two-way contract. The Pistons opted against giving him a standard deal this offseason, even after a promising rookie year spent largely in the G League and a strong showing in Summer League.
He will almost certainly be converted to a standard NBA contract at some point, but the Pistons currently do not have an open roster spot.
A two-way player is only eligible to appear in 50 regular-season games with their NBA team and is not postseason eligible.
Jenkins is proving not only that he belongs on an NBA roster, but that he deserves an every-night rotation spot as well. His skill set, positional flexibility, and on-court demeanor are all significantly valuable attributes to the current best team in the East.
“I’m just trying to find my way,” Jenkins said after his 19-point, 8-assist performance against the 76ers on Friday night. “That’s all I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to keep going and showing what I’ve been knowing I’m capable of. Like I said, God’s just shining that light on me and I just gotta believe in me.”
Jenkins should have all the belief and confidence in the world right now. He’s creating new believers in droves with each and every performance.
The Pistons certainly believe in him. Even after Cunningham returned from a three-game absence on Tuesday night, Jenkins remained alongside him in the starting lineup.
As Detroit continues to get healthier — Cunningham and Thompson have returned, and Jaden Ivey has begun practicing again — Jenkins will have his work cut out for him to maintain a rotation spot.
But the fact that he’s even in the conversation for minutes among those players shows the type of leap he has seemingly made.
There’s no ignoring the obvious anymore.
Daniss Jenkins has arrived, and he’s here to stay.
The Pistons are just lucky to be the team that found him.