Daniss Jenkins has been one of the best stories of the 2025-26 season, not only for the Detroit Pistons but also in the NBA.
The undrafted guard has emerged out of nowhere in his second season in the league to become an important part of the rotation for the best team in the NBA. Jenkins has taken over as the backup point guard and has given the Pistons solid minutes anytime Cade Cunningham had to miss time. It's safe to say that the Pistons wouldn't be where they are right now without Jenkins.
Unfortunately, the 24-year-old guard is in the middle of a significant slump that complicates things for head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Daniss Jenkins Could Be on Thin Ice Before NBA Playoffs
In the six games after the NBA All-Star break, Jenkins is averaging 5.3 points and 0.8 assists in 17.4 minutes per game on horrendous 35.5% True Shooting. He is 12-of-42 from the field (28.6%) and 2-of-11 from three (18.2%), with more turnovers (6) than assists (5) in that span.
As a result, the Pistons have lost the minutes he was on the court by 13 points during that stretch. The fact that they are 5-1 and plus-47 in point differential in those contests puts their struggles in Jenkins' minutes in perspective.
Every player goes through ups and downs during the gauntlet of the NBA regular season. For most players, this shouldn't be a concerning stint. For a player like Jenkins, however, who doesn't have a track record of contributing at a high-level rotation player, it can be worrisome. It also raises questions about his viability in the playoffs.
If Jenkins can't get out of this slump between now and the postseason, the Pistons will have to find other solutions in the backcourt. This could present an opportunity for Marcus Sasser or Kevin Huerter to find their way back into the rotation. The deciding factor there will be shooting.
Jenkins started the season shooting well from downtown, making 37.8% of his threes in his first 39 games of the season. Since the start of February, however, Jenkins has made only 26% of his threes.
If that trend continues, it's safe to assume Sasser and Huerter can help the Pistons more offensively than Jenkins. Huerter doesn't have Jenkins' ball-handling and playmaking, and Sasser doesn't have Jenkins' size and physicality, but at least they can make shots. Given Detroit's offensive struggles against elite defenses, that may be worth considering.
The Pistons have the luxury of having a 5.5-game cushion over the No. 2 seed Celtics. They can afford to change things up and try new things in the rotation over the next month and a half. That means Jenkins may be on thin ice and see his minutes reduced until he starts hitting shots again.