Undrafted St. John’s guard shines for Detroit Pistons in NBA Summer League

The Detroit Pistons are well stocked at the guard position already, with Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Malik Beasley and Marcus Sasser all in the mix.

However, a new contender has emerged in Daniss Jenkins, an undrafted guard who played for Rick Pitino and St. John’s last season. Jenkins already signed a two-way contract, but his performance on Monday in Detroit’s first Summer League victory merits strong consideration for a standard roster spot.

Jenkins dropped 26 points on 8-16 shooting, including 6-11 from the three point line, along with four assists, three rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.

His red hot shooting put a ton of pressure on opposing defenses, and he used his craftiness to make plays for his teammates and get to the rim with ease – carving up the Rockets and making his case as the strongest undrafted member of the 2024 class.

The 6’3 guard was excellent for Pitino and the Red Storm as a senior in 2023-24, averaging 14.9 points, 5.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals while shooting 50% on twos, 35.4% from the three point line, and 85.1% on free throws.

Jenkins followed Pitino from Iona, where he averaged 15.6 points and shot 36.1% from three. Prior to that he spent two years in the WCC at Pacific, averaging 12.2 points as a sophomore in the COVID shortened 2020-21 campaign.

The Dallas native no doubt enjoyed taking down Houston on Monday, and more performances at or near this level should result in him getting a standard NBA contract and securing a spot in Detroit’s rotation when the NBA season gets underway in October.