The Pistons have seen some promising signs from Daniss Jenkins in recent games, including a clutch reputation on buzzer-beaters. On Friday night against the Nets, he hit a buzzer-beating three to end the third quarter, making it his second straight game with a three to beat an end-of-quarter buzzer. That same reputation was previously established by Payton Pritchard, ironically a player that the Pistons would love to have Jenkins emulate.
Jenkins is turning into a buzzer-beater king
One of Jenkins' first breakout games last season included a buzzer-beating three to send the game into overtime against the Wizards with many Pistons injured. It cemented him as a fan favorite in Detroit and earned the respect of coaches for his cold-blooded confidence. Naturally, that confidence has carried over into this season with more certainty in his role.
The Pistons love to see his confidence, especially with the clock ticking down. In fact, they would love for it to pass along to some of his teammates too. Jenkins' proficiency at buzzer-beating shots gives the Pistons a potential extra three points every few games that they might not get otherwise. It also keeps the defense honest and playing through the horn, but most importantly it raises the energy of his own team.
Jenkins' teammates are always excited to see him knock down a buzzer-beater and will probably play harder in the following quarter as a result. For a squad that thrives on its energy and effort, Jenkins' buzzer-beaters could have an outsized impact that's not realized in the box score. But Jenkins can grow even more by taking on additional skills that Pritchard has mastered after starting in a similar spot.
Pritchard is a great model for Jenkins to follow
Unlike Jenkins, Pritchard did have the luxury of being a first-round pick and getting a few years to develop on the Pistons before being thrust into a bigger role. His progression was steady at first, but has exploded in recent seasons. During the Celtics' 2024 championship run, Pritchard was firmly a rotation piece further down the bench but made a name for himself with his buzzer-beaters.
Since then, he's continued to grow and take on a bigger role for the Celtics. He won 6th Man of the Year in 2025, then took on a starting spot for most of last season. He even increased his scoring average to 17 points per game and refined his scoring inside of the arc significantly. Once a deep-shot specialist, Pritchard is now a multi-level scorer capable of creating his own looks against practically any defender.
The Pistons would love for Jenkins to eventually develop in the same mold. They're currently having to rely on Cade Cunningham too much to generate quality offense, but Jenkins could help lessen the load with his own creation. He's already shown some of the right signs with his play this season, but needs to keep it up to get to Pritchard's level and be one of the best backup point guards in the league.
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