Daniss Jenkins goes from being an undrafted free agent on a 2-way contract to key player for Pistons

DETROIT (AP) — Daniss Jenkins was overlooked and underappreciated for much of his career.

Not anymore.

Jenkins has played himself into a key role with the top-seeded Detroit Pistons, earning 29 minutes of playing time in their Game 1 win over the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

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He had 12 points and three assists, bringing the ball up the court at times to give Cade Cunningham a break. He also had playoff career highs with seven rebounds and four steals.

In the last 3:23, he scored six points, grabbed three rebounds and had a steal to help Detroit pull away.

“This team didn’t win 60 games just because of (Cunningham),” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “They have really good players surrounding him and a really good bench.”

Jenkins has become Detroit’s top guard off the bench, playing 29 minutes in each of the last two games.

That’s pretty impressive for a second-year pro who was on a two-way contract just a few months ago. An undrafted free agent after playing for four schools, including a junior college, he spent most of his rookie season in the G League.

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“My whole journey, it hasn’t been pretty, but it’s about fighting through adversity,” Jenkins said. “So, I just try to go out and let that show when I play.”

He’s been doing that for months for the Pistons.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Jenkins didn’t play in half of the first 10 games this season, then made the most of his opportunities when he got a shot to play in November.

He scored a then-career-high 24 points in a win over Washington and averaged 19-plus points over the next four games — all victories.

In February, he played in a 42nd game, which turned his two-way deal into an $8 million, two-year contract.

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When Cunningham was out of the lineup in March with a collapsed lung, Jenkins scored a career-high 30 points in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. That was part of his 10-game streak of scoring in double digits.

Jenkins finished the regular season averaging 9.3 points and 3.9 assists, solid numbers for a player getting 20 minutes per game off the bench.

“He’s…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/daniss-jenkins-goes-being-undrafted-212031954.html

Author : LARRY LAGE

Publish date : 2026-05-06 21:20:00

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