DESPITE going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft, Daniss Jenkins has produced a strong campaign in the G League after signing a two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons and playing with their affiliate in Motor City, being named to the NBA G League All-Rookie Team for his efforts.

Jenkins put together a solid collegiate career, playing with the Pacific Tigers, Odessa Wranglers, Iona Gaels and the St. John’s Red Storm during his time in the NCAAM, but unfortunately missed out in the 2024 intake.

However, he was given a lifeline by the Detroit Pistons, who offered him a two-way contract in the weeks that followed, which is becoming common practice post-draft, and allows teams to still add players despite not having enough picks to do so.

It proved to be an inspired move for both team and player, with Jenkins putting together a strong season with Motor City, and showing Detroit he may be worthy of NBA minutes in the future, and at just 23 years of age, still has plenty of basketball ahead.

Throughout the 2024/25 G League season, he took charge of the Pistons, taking over the point guard role and translating his skills from the NCAAM to a professional competition, and proving a standout for Motor City.

He took no time at all to find his feet with the team, and built steadily as the season rolled on. It all culminated in a peak during February, when was he was named the G League Player of the Week, and became the third player in franchise history to receive the award.

During the stretch of Feb. 10-22, the point guard posted numbers 26.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 32.6 minutes per game, shooting 48.5 per cent from the field and 46 per cent from behind the arc, all while leading his team to five wins from five games. He scored 30-plus points on three of his five outings during this stretch including a career-high 41 points (12/19 FG, 8/11 3PT) against the Wisconsin Her.

It showed his capability to star at G League level despite being in only his first season, and demonstrated how damaging he can be when it comes to finding the bottom of the net, showing the ability to score across all three levels consistently.

Jenkins was not only one of the best scoring rookies in the G League, but was among the best players overall on the offensive front, leading the Pistons on this side of things and even earning a couple of NBA appearances with Detroit, albeit in limited minutes.

He finished the 2024/25 season posting numbers of 21.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.4 blocks while shooting 43.9 per cent from the field, 33.3 per cent from three-point land and 77.9 per cent from the charity stripe.

Jenkins ranked equal-18th in points per game and equal-ninth in assists per game as well, looking like a 10-year veteran and outperforming much more experienced campaigners in his rookie season in the G League.

The guard also stood out for the Pistons at the 2025 NBA Summer League, averaging 14.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists and one steal per game while shooting 44.9 per cent from the field and 42.1 per cent from three across six outings, and with a tournament-best performance seeing Jenkins drop 26 points last week.

He should be competing for a roster spot for Detroit in the 2024/25 NBA season having proven he is too good for both the G League and the Summer League, and should get more opportunities with the Pistons after a tremendous 12 months with the organisation.