Daniss Jenkins has turned into one of the best bargains on the Detroit Pistons, and the numbers make the case loud and clear.
He’s the 11th highest paid player on the roster, but his production has punched well above that spot in the payroll. Jenkins has averaged 13.5 points, 4.7 assists and 3.8 rebounds while knocking down 44 percent of his 3-pointers on just under five attempts per game. For Detroit, that’s exactly the kind of return you want from a player who has stepped into the starting five and delivered the kind of impact the team hoped to get from Jaden Ivey.
There’s also the simple reality of how he got here. Jenkins came into the league as an undrafted free agent, fought his way onto an NBA roster and has now carved out a real role as a starter. That makes the complaints about him “stealing” minutes from rookie Ebuka Okorie hard to take seriously, especially when Okorie is 19 and has not played significant minutes in the league.
That’s not a knock on Okorie. It’s just the way the Pistons are built right now.
They’re trying to win a title, and a teenager not cracking the rotation immediately is hardly a surprise. As long as Jenkins keeps playing at this level, that situation isn’t changing.
What makes Jenkins so valuable is the contract attached to the production. Detroit already has a roster full of what can be called team-friendly deals, including Duncan Robinson, Isaiah Joe, Ausar Thompson, Kevin Huerter, Paul Reed and Javonte Green. Jenkins belongs in that conversation too, maybe even near the top of it.
He’s making just $4 million this season, which is less than Okorie, and he’s doing it while producing like a starter. That kind of cost control matters on a team with bigger money committed elsewhere. Good teams need players like this to balance out the max deals at the top of the payroll.
The catch, of course, is that this won’t stay cheap forever. Jenkins will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and will almost certainly be looking for a raise. But that’s a problem for later.
Right now, he’s giving the Pistons exactly what contenders need: cheap, reliable impact. And on a roster built to go deep, that makes Daniss Jenkins one of the most valuable bargains in the NBA.
In Other News...
Pistons May Have Found The Backcourt Spark They Were Missing
The Pistons have spent plenty of time searching for another backcourt piece to ease the load on Cade Cunningham, and Daniss Jenkins is making a strong case that he belongs in that conversation. Since stepping into Jaden Iveys spot, Jenkins has shown a more polished offensive game, with his shooting and playmaking both trending in the right direction as Detroit looks for more stability around its lead guard.
What makes the stretch so interesting is how quickly Jenkins has started to matter in real games, not just in theory. He has put together a run of 20-plus-point performances and given the Pistons a different kind of perimeter threat at a time when Jalen Durens injury has already forced the offense to adjust. If Jenkins keeps this up, Detroit may have found a much-needed spark in a place it has been trying to upgrade for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Are Surviving Jalen Durens Absence In An Unexpected Way
Jalen Durens absence has forced the Pistons to get creative in the middle, and the usual answer on the glass has not been there. With undersized centers John Collins and Paul Reed handling those minutes, Detroit has taken a hit in rebounding, but the bigger picture has stayed surprisingly steady because the rest of the lineup has adapted around the loss.
Ausar Thompson has helped cover some of that ground with strong work on the boards, while the ball has also been safer in Detroits hands. Fewer turnovers and a lineup built more around ball handling have given JB Bickerstaff a way to manage possessions better, and that has helped the Pistons keep winning even as one of their most important big men remains out. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Just Unlocked A Version Of This Team Fans Have Wanted
Cade Cunninghams 52-point outburst in a double-overtime win over the Washington Wizards was the headline, but it was also the kind of night that hinted at a bigger shift for Detroit. The Pistons have spent much of the season looking for a cleaner, more dynamic way to organize their offense, and Cunninghams career-high scoring night came with 11 assists and no turnovers, a reminder of how dangerous the attack can be when he is controlling everything.
Ausar Thompson added another layer to that picture with his first career triple-double, finishing with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists while taking on a larger playmaking load under J.B. Bickerstaff. That role has helped unlock more movement and versatility for Detroit, and it is starting to look like the kind of version of this team fans have been waiting to see. The bigger question now is how far Bickerstaff can keep pushing that formula once the games get tighter and the scouting reports get thicker. [Read more 🡒]