Daniss Jenkins has been a great story for the Detroit Pistons all season.
On a two-way contract to start the season, Jenkins emerged out of nowhere to become a reliable rotation piece for head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. He earned his backup point guard role, which helped the Pistons be more comfortable moving on from Jaden Ivey at the trade deadline. As a result, Jenkins signed a two-year standard contract with the Pistons on Feb. 8.
Since then, however, things have not gone according to plan for Jenkins. In the 15 games since, Jenkins is averaging 5.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game on .323/.200/.704 shooting splits. The Pistons have lost his minutes by a total of 35 points in that span.
Daniss Jenkins Gets Well-Deserved DNP-Coach's Decision
This nosedive in efficiency finally caught up to Jenkins.
He was a healthy scratch in Sunday's loss against the Toronto Raptors. Bickerstaff deployed an 11-man rotation, which didn't include Jenkins. Despite going deep into his bench throughout the game, the Pistons' head coach didn't give Jenkins a chance. Instead, Marcus Sasser and Kevin Huerter played a combined 25 minutes off the bench.
Detroit was at full strength for the first time in a while.
Ausar Thompson returned from his five-game absence due to an ankle sprain, but had a 24-minute restriction. The first Piston off the bench who played significant minutes with the starters was Kevin Huerter. The veteran shooting guard, who spent some time as a DNP-Coach's Decision since being acquired at the trade deadline, has finally cracked the rotation and earned Bickerstaff's trust. However, he only played 14 minutes, raising questions about how long this will continue.
With a four-game cushion over the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed Boston Celtics, Bickerstaff is clearly trying different lineup combinations to prepare the Pistons for the playoffs. Especially since the Pistons are in the midst of a mini-slump, going 3-5 in their last eight games, this makes plenty of sense.
This experimentation will likely continue in the final stretch of the season. Whether Jenkins will earn rotation minutes again to prove he is worthy of postseason minutes remains to be seen. Regardless, it couldn't be clearer that no Pistons backup's spot in the rotation is safe.
Who will firmly establish a role for himself in the final 15 games of the season will be worth watching for Pistons fans.