The Pistons have struggled in the last two games to create any reliable offense outside of Cade Cunningham. Daniss Jenkins can help solve the problem by organizing the offense but he hasn’t gotten enough opportunity. Instead, the Pistons have looked to other backup point guard options that have struggled.
Daniss Jenkins is a true point guard
Jenkins has received very few chances to serve as the Pistons’ primary point guard. In Friday night’s loss to the Magic, he played just 8 minutes (all in the second quarter). All of those minutes were shared with Cade or Caris LeVert, who assumed the responsibility of leading the offense.
Although LeVert has shown some promise as an offensive initiator this season, he’s not as natural of a passer as Jenkins or Cunningham. He can create shots for himself consistently, but doesn’t distribute the ball as well as a proper point guard should. On the other hand, Jenkins averaged 9 assists per game in his 4 starts this season, when he was allowed to run the offense.
The Pistons were using their depth to their advantage when players were allowed to thrive in their natural roles. Running bench lineups without Jenkins at point guard is having the opposite effect. Everyone is looking worse because they are out of position.
The last two losses have shown that even Cade has his limits as an offensive engine. Giving Jenkins more minutes as a primary ball handler, especially in the second half of games, can give Cade more rest. While it may decrease Cade’s counting numbers, it can help his efficiency and help the team in clutch situations.
Unfortunately, Jenkins’ contract situation may be holding him back. His status as a two-way player has been well publicized. As such, he’s only eligible for 50 games with the Pistons this season and only making half of a rookie salary. Perhaps due to concerns about his allowable games played or deference to higher-paid players, Jenkins has seen his minutes decrease as the team has gotten healthier.
But the Pistons will quickly have to make a tough decision to keep Jenkins on the team. He’s demonstrated that he’s undeniably better than a two-way contract and will definitely get scooped up by another team if the Pistons don’t secure him to a standard contract this season. To do so, they’ll need to get rid of a standard contract currently on the roster.
The most obvious candidate is Isaac Jones, who the Pistons claimed off waivers to fill the 15th spot on the roster. His contract is not fully guaranteed until January, so the Pistons can still waive him to make room for Jenkins. It’s always hard to cut a young player, but it might be best for the Pistons.