Daniss Jenkins has been fighting hard for his rotation spot with the Pistons since the summer. He has shown clear improvement from last year and he's been a solid contributor during the preseason. Still on a two-way contract, Jenkins now has a perfect chance to cement himself as the Pistons backup point guard in the preseason finale.
Jenkins needs to play his role
The most important thing that Jenkins can show in the final preseason game against the Wizards is his ability to play a steady point guard role. The Pistons aren't looking for their backup point guard to be a superstar who can score at will or completely change the game by himself. Rather, they are looking for someone who can make his teammates better and buy into the team's identity on both ends.
Jenkins has shown his talent in the preseason, but has also made a lot of mistakes when trying to force the issue. Against the Bucks, he shot a putrid 3/11 from the field while trying to force some scoring for a lackluster bench unit. And against the Cavaliers, he had 5 turnovers while trying to be too ambitious in his playmaking. Truth be told, the Pistons already have a point guard who is prone to mistakes like those in Cade Cunningham, and they would prefer a more steady hand to back him up.
Fortunately for Jenkins, he gets to play in his natural backup point guard role tonight rather than being overstretched as a starter like he was in his most recent outing. Cade Cunningham is back in the lineup after sitting out last game, and he will look to continue his incredible preseason dominance. Caris LeVert will also rejoin the team on the court for the first time since the preseason opener, which can help alleviate more ball handling pressure from Jenkins.
Jaden Ivey's recent injury news does increase Jenkins' odds of getting playing time on the main roster, but he's still competing with Marcus Sasser for the backup PG role. Sasser has shown incredible flashes as an isolation scorer and yet saw his minutes decrease last season because he didn't fit into the role that the Pistons envisioned at his position.
Jenkins need to learn from Sasser's mistake to give coach JB Bickerstaff what he wants. Above all, defensive tenacity is a core tenet of Bickerstaff's coaching so Jenkins will need to bring excellent effort on that end to secure minutes. On top of that, he needs to play under control and show his strengths in off-ball shooting and playmaking.
The Pistons are now in desperate need for a backup point guard, and Jenkins is in the perfect position to pounce on it. Whether or not he's in the regular season rotation can be decided by his performance tonight.