Summer League standout's most important role for the Pistons

The Detroit Pistons only had a few guys that most fans would tune into Summer League to watch. Obviously there was no Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren or Jaden Ivey. There wasn’t even Ausar Thompson, as he is being brought along slowly after his blood clot scare last season. Headlining for the Pistons were essentially Marcus Sasser, and rookies Ron Holland and Bobi Klintman. 

While there was plenty to watch and evaluate from those three, another rookie played well enough to question which team should he be playing for next season. That rookie was undrafted free agent Daniss Jenkins. 

During Summer League, Jenkins averaged 9.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 33 percent from three and an impressive 2.4 stocks per game in 26.2 minutes on average. The 6-foot-4 guard out of St. Johns stood out the most during Detroit’s 87-73 win over the Rockets. Jenkins finished the game with 26 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 stocks, and a very impressive 54 percent from three. 

While he naturally cooled down quite a bit after the Rockets performance, Jenkins still played well enough to force the conversation on where he should be starting his rookie season. Should he play with the Motor City Cruise as was planned? Or could he fill the backup point guard position role that Detroit has been looking for all offseason?

One expert called him a quadruple A player, a phrase often used in baseball when stating they’re too good for AAA and the minor leagues, but not good enough for the big show. 

Where should Daniss Jenkins play this upcoming season?

With that being said, his role with Detroit best fits with the Motor City Cruise. Not because that’s where his talent lies, but because of what he could do for the rest of Detroit’s prospects. Before this past season, Ron Holland was the expected number one overall draft pick, according to a few outlets. During his time with the G-League Ignite, however, Holland didn’t have a true point guard, and thus, his play diminished tremendously. So much so that there were certain experts who think Detroit reached for him at five.

If Holland is to spend any time with the Cruise, having a point guard like Jenkins to facilitate for him could help break some of the habits that he formed last year, and truly benefit his development. The same goes for Bobi Klintman, who is expected to start the year with the Cruise. Bobi is already a fantastic, smooth shooting big wing, but he has some stuff he must work on. Daniss could help oversee his development. 

Playing alongside someone like Jenkins could do wonders for the young Pistons. It’s not overly fair to put that on an undrafted rookie free agent, but that’s the business. It’s not likely that Jenkins ever becomes a pillar for this franchise, but it is expected that Ron Holland and possibly Bobi Klintman will. And if Daniss can help in any way in their developing, that might be his best role.