After another dominant performance last night, it’s absolutely mindboggling that Pistons’ PG Daniss Jenkins went undrafted just weeks earlier.
Jenkins watched 60 players get picked before the 2024 NBA Draft came to a close. And his name wasn’t among them.
Instead, the former St. John’s star guard signed a two-way deal with the Detroit Pistons. This came after a controversial decision by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to leave St. John’s out of the Tournament. Now, Jenkins is playing to prove all of the doubters and naysayers wrong. And he has lived up to the challenge so far this Summer League.
The 2024 NBA Draft
Let’s face it – any team that passed on Jenkins has to be questioning that decision. His performance in Summer League so far has been electric to say the least. He’s putting up 18 points, 4.5 assists, 2 steals, and 1.5 blocks in the past two games. But those of us who rep the Johnnies are not the least bit surprised.
What is surprising is some of the picks in this year’s 2024 NBA Draft. I wouldn’t consider myself an NBA Draft expert by any means. But some of the picks were, in my humble opinion, very questionable.
For example, I counted 21 foreigners taken in this year’s draft. Some of these players went through NCAAM (think Canadian C Zach Edey from Purdue, German-Brazilian SF Tristan da Silva from Colorado, and Australian SG Johnny Furphy from Kansas). But the trend towards players from European leagues, notably 3 of the top 10 picks coming from France, seems overdone to me.
Bronny James Comparison
It’s also worth noting that Bronny James was selected above Jenkins. He’s been getting a lot of shade in the media, and I wouldn’t add to it if the Johnnies weren’t affected. But Bronny averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in the PAC-12. He played for USC, which finished 9th in the PAC-12 at 8-12 in conference play. And the PAC-12 was not great this year – the conference finished 6-4 in March Madness.
Now consider Daniss Jenkins. He averaged 14.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in the Big East. St. John’s finished 5th in the Big East at 11-9 in conference play. And despite the disrespect from the NCAA Tournament selection committee, the Big East was great this year. UConn had that greatness on display with their dominant run through March Madness, and the Big East finished 10-2 in the Tournament. The closest game UConn played in March was their 95-90 win over a Daniss Jenkins-led St. John’s in the Big East Tournament.
In other words, it’s very hard to objectively justify taking Bronny over Jenkins.
Daniss Jenkins Shines Again
Despite the League’s decision to let him go undrafted, St. John’s fans and Pistons fans alike have high hopes for Jenkins after a dominant first Summer League performance. And he is living up to the expectations.
Jenkins put up an incredible 26 points, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks in his second game for the Pistons. More impressively, he did this shooting 8/16 from the field and 6/11 from 3. He was lights-out, with his endless confidence, sharpshooting, and ability to get hot fast on display. His efforts were enough to lift the Pistons to their first Summer League win.
Now, it is still Summer League. Jenkins will need to prove he’s capable of running with the big boys before coming off of that two-way contract. But if St. John’s fans are sure of anything, it’s that Daniss Jenkins has what it takes to compete in the NBA.
