Much was made about what the Detroit Pistons didn’t do this offseason, which includes not adding a reliable second creator.
This has been a talking point since Cade Cunningham came into the league, and thus far, there hasn’t been a clear answer, though the Pistons hope they have options.
Ausar Thompson will handle the ball more, but as we’ve seen from the first two preseason games, this will be a work in progress, as he was great in game one but struggled in game two, a pattern we can probably expect as he takes his lumps as a ball handler.
Another answer will come from the bench in the form of Daniss Jenkins, who needs to be the creator the Pistons failed to get in the offseason.
Daniss Jenkins is a better creator than he gets credit for
Jenkins has been somewhat overlooked this offseason as fans focused on the Jalen Duren drama, and the new additions, which include rookie point guard Ebuka Okorie.
But Jenkins was quietly the Pistons’ second-best creator last season, averaging just under four assists per game while playing 20 minutes per night.
Jenkins only had a 21 percent usage rating, so that level of production is on par with what the Pistons need out of a secondary creator.
Jenkins has to do it more efficiently though, as he had a high turnover rate (a tick higher than Cade Cunningham’s) and sometimes dribbled the life out of the ball, which are two things he has to change.
The results in preseason have been good so far, as Jenkins has looked comfortable running the offense and has clearly made more of an effort to set up his teammates.
He should have a better cast around him with far more shooting coming off the bench with him, so Jenkins will have a chance to raise his assist numbers into the 5-6 range with increased minutes and more consistent opportunity with better players.
Ideally, Jenkins will have a slightly higher usage rating as the primary backup point guard but will lower his turnover rate from the 15.3 percent we saw last season.
Part of the reason the Pistons were comfortable not making a big move this past offseason is because of their internal development and the hopes of more on-ball creation from the guys who were already on the roster.
Jenkins will have a chance to be one of them but he’ll have to continue to clean up parts of his game and show that he can be trusted to take care of the ball.
Add us as a preferred source on Google