Daniss Jenkins
Jenkins is Detroit's backup point guard behind Cade Cunningham, and he stepped into the starting five on Sunday, Oct. 25 with Ausar Thompson out.
Role
Reporting has him as the second point guard behind Cunningham. He averaged 20.2 minutes a game last season and started 19 regular-season games, per a Detroit Sports Nation piece dated Sept. 30, which says that number could climb. ESPN's player page (about 15 days old) says he started when Ausar Thompson (ankle) was out. NBC Sports (Oct. 25) has him starting again for Ausar, with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the win over Philadelphia. Whether Thompson is still out has not been confirmed. His Oct. 6 preseason outing was 18 minutes, and CBS/Rotowire describes a deeper Detroit backcourt. No minutes tracker or beat-writer rotation report was found. Note: the last-season line we hold shows 3 GP, but every outlet I found reports 72 games, so I use none of those figures.
He went from seven games two seasons ago to 72, and he has the coaching staff's trust. The Sept. 30 Detroit Sports Nation piece floats 25-30 minutes. He played well in spot starts and in the playoffs, including 19 points as a starter in Game 5 against Cleveland. NBC notes he was an impactful fantasy contributor when Cunningham missed time.
He is a reserve on a deep roster. CBS/Rotowire says he must secure consistent reserve minutes in a deeper backcourt. Detroit's offseason aim of adding playmaking help for Cunningham could squeeze him. NBC expects him to stay on waivers in most fantasy leagues unless Cunningham misses significant time. His starts so far come from teammates' absences, and he goes back to the bench when they return, as he did when Duncan Robinson was available.
Where analysts split
The question is whether his minutes stay near last season's 20.2 a night or rise toward 25-30 as the club's designated second-unit lead. The optimistic coverage argues for growth. NBC and Rotowire treat him as a backup whose value depends on others' absences.
Research confidence: thin. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
Others at PG
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