Vibes are great with the Pistons since Cade Cunningham came back from injury in the last two victories, but there’s been one important casualty. Daniss Jenkins, who was starting at point guard with Cade out, has seen his numbers drop since Cade’s return. The Pistons will need both of their point guards operating at their best for the playoffs, so they must find a way to snap Jenkins out of his funk.
Daniss Jenkins hasn’t been himself in the last two games
In the last two games, Jenkins has scored just 9 and 6 points, respectively. And the shooting hasn’t been great either: 1-of-6 in one game and 2-of-9 in the other. For comparison, he was averaging nearly 19 points and 8 assists per game on 45% from the field and 45% from three in the 12 games between Cade’s injury and his return.
That peak version of Jenkins is what the Pistons will need in the postseason. He offered them another elite guard option without the weaknesses of some other Pistons. When Jenkins is hitting his shots, there’s no other backcourt player on Detroit’s roster with as much impact outside of Cade himself.
Along with his scoring, Jenkins also has a natural feel for playmaking and dogged defense that is hard to find in a backup point guard. That versatility allows him to thrive in a lead role when called upon. But his fit alongside Cade has been questionable for months now, and it’s only getting more pronounced recently.
Jenkins has struggled to reintegrate with Cade
The timing of Cade’s injury and recovery have been unfortunate for developing chemistry with Jenkins. Just when Jenkins was playing the most high-profile basketball of his career, Cade returned and took over the reins of the offense. Even in a meaningless end-of-season game, the Pistons are focused on getting Cade back up to game speed rather than allowing Jenkins to dictate the offense.
Even if Jenkins and Cunningham don’t often share the court together, Jenkins still has to adapt his playstyle with Cade back. For one, he’s now often playing with the bench unit rather than the starters. Of course these two units have different strengths and weaknesses, although the bench will naturally be less talented players.
Jenkins did a great job of establishing chemistry with the starters and settling into a point guard role alongside them. But now he won't have the same opportunities to play alongside those guys. He will need to find ways to be just as effective in a bench role and also potentially playing alongside Cade as a shooting guard. Jenkins' future on the team and the Pistons' own playoff hopes depend on his ability to adapt.