In the first playoffs of his career, Daniss Jenkins stumbled out of the gate. In the first-round series against the Orlando Magic, the 24-year-old guard couldn't make an impact on either end of the floor early on. After working so hard to earn JB Bickerstaff's trust during the regular season, Jenkins saw his minutes take a hit and was reduced almost exclusively to Cade Cunningham's backup role.
However, Bickerstaff made the right decision to stick with him despite Jenkins' struggles, especially shooting the ball. Even though Jenkins was 25.8% from the field and 11.8% from three in the first five games of the series, he saw an increase in his role in the final two games against the Magic. In Game 7, he played the most minutes of his playoff career with 29, and delivered a strong 16-point, five-assist game on 5/8 shooting from the field.
This has helped carry his confidence into the second-round series against Cleveland. In Game 1 against the Cavs on Thursday, Jenkins put together another productive game, finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and four steals. The Pistons were +8 in his 29 minutes of action. Jenkins ended up closing the game over Ausar Thompson.
Pistons Need Daniss Jenkins to Play a Big Role Going Forward
What Jenkins brings to the table is more offensive juice. He gives the Pistons another ball-handler and shot creator, taking some of the offensive burden off Cade Cunningham. This way, Cade has more energy on the defensive side to guard James Harden and can be more efficient offensively.
Jenkins also adds more pace, passing, and unpredictability to the Pistons' offense. His shot remains inconsistent, and it hasn't been falling all playoffs, but he still finds a way to be effective. Jenkins is a good passer, has solid handles, and never turns the ball over. He is also one of the only Pistons players who can beat his defender one-on-one, forcing the defense to react, and making things easier for his teammates.
Now, Jenkins has earned the right to play significant minutes next to Cunningham and close games for the team, which seemed difficult to imagine earlier in the playoffs. While the lion's share of credits should obviously go to the undrafted guard, Bickerstaff and the coaching staff deserve some praise for continuing to believe in him when things weren't going well.
There will be games in which Jenkins will struggle on the field. There will be plenty of occasions where the Pistons aren't scoring efficiently. Even then, they will need Jenkins' offensive juice to have a chance.
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