The Detroit Pistons are officially in the era of having good problems. Currently, that problem (or potential problem) is that Daniss Jenkins, who's broken out for the Pistons recently, would not be able to play for the Pistons in the postseason because he's on a two-way deal, splitting his time between the big-league club and the Motor City Cruise.
Again, good problems — for starters, it's a good thing that Pistons fans can comfortably assume this team will be in the playoffs. In years past, if you told a Pistons fan, "Hey, your two-way player won't be eligible for the playoffs," they would look at you like you just did a backflip.
It's also a good thing that a two-way player is good enough to spark the discussion about his role on a playoff roster. For Jenkins to be eligible for the playoffs, the Pistons would have to convert his two-way deal to a standard NBA contract before the end of the season.
Pistons need to convert Daniss Jenkins to a standard NBA contract
After scoring 7 points total in his rookie season, Jenkins has smashed that total in his past two games along, scoring 24 against the Wizards (including the game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer) and following that up with 18 & 12 against the Bulls on Wednesday. Those are the numbers of someone trying to earn a full-time roster spot. He's emerged as an unlikely hero and one of the most exciting stories in the Pistons' young season.
Of course, no one expects those numbers to stay consistent all year, but if Jenkins continues to provide solid backup guard minutes, even that should be enough to get him a full-time NBA deal.
The team signed Isaac Jones off waivers a few weeks ago, and if Jenkins is converted to a standard deal, he seems like (unfortunately) the most obvious option to be waived by the team. Everyone else on the team feels like a veteran who surely won't be waived or a young player who still has upside the Pistons are interested in.
Nonetheless, Jenkins looks like an exciting developmental story and a big win for the Pistons scouting department. Hitting on undrafted players is how the Oklahoma City Thunder have built their dynasty. I'm not saying the Pistons are anywhere close to doing that, but hey, this could be a start.