The Detroit Pistons are well stocked at the guard position already, with Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Malik Beasley and Marcus Sasser all in the mix.
However, a new contender has emerged in Daniss Jenkins, an undrafted guard who played for Rick Pitino and St. John’s last season. Jenkins already signed a two-way contract, but his performance on Monday in Detroit’s first Summer League victory merits strong consideration for a standard roster spot.
Jenkins dropped 26 points on 8-16 shooting, including 6-11 from the three point line, along with four assists, three rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.
His red hot shooting put a ton of pressure on opposing defenses, and he used his craftiness to make plays for his teammates and get to the rim with ease – carving up the Rockets and making his case as the strongest undrafted member of the 2024 class.
The 6’3 guard was excellent for Pitino and the Red Storm as a senior in 2023-24, averaging 14.9 points, 5.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals while shooting 50% on twos, 35.4% from the three point line, and 85.1% on free throws.
Jenkins followed Pitino from Iona, where he averaged 15.6 points and shot 36.1% from three. Prior to that he spent two years in the WCC at Pacific, averaging 12.2 points as a sophomore in the COVID shortened 2020-21 campaign.
The Dallas native no doubt enjoyed taking down Houston on Monday, and more performances at or near this level should result in him getting a standard NBA contract and securing a spot in Detroit’s rotation when the NBA season gets underway in October.