Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins had another incredible game on Sunday
On Sunday afternoon after the Pistons secured an important road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the first of Cade Cunningham’s NBA career, Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke with the media about how his team responded to adversity.
Entering the game, the Pistons were shorthanded without Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris and Caris LeVert due to injury, so Detroit was playing without two starters that log huge minutes each game. With minutes up for grabs, Bickerstaff turned to Daniss Jenkins off the bench, and the trusty guard put up 21 points in the second quarter alone en route to a 25-point effort in the victory.
“I mean, he was unbelievable,” Bickerstaff said after the game. “Six-for-six from three in that quarter. And again, it's the trust factor, and we talk about it all the time. You know, we got 18 guys on our roster that we believe in. We got 18 guys that we know we put in the game can help us win. They know how to play Pistons basketball. They play unselfish. They play with the high spirit and the confidence to go out and do what it takes to get it done.”
Without Duren, Harris and LeVert in the lineup, Jenkins saw an opportunity to impact the course of the game and was the engine behind Detroit’s 47-point explosion before halftime. In fact, Jenkins’ 21-point second quarter was the highest-scoring single quarter by a Detroit bench player in franchise history.
“That's what it is, and that's what it takes, and you got to get it from multiple people, putting people in different spots,” Bickerstaff said. “Like we like Cade inbounding the basketball at the end of games, but then he's got to find the right people. And Daniss showed the ability late down the stretch to make his free throws under pressure and get open to get the basketball. So, those are all things that are going to be important as we continue to build, and like I said, we're still working. We're not finished by any means, so I expect us to continue to grow and continue to get better.”
Bickerstaff knows that the Pistons are still finding their groove midway through the season despite what the team’s first-place record may suggest. Detroit experienced more movement in and out of the starting lineup today than usual, but that also allowed rotation players like Javonte Green to step up with an influential second half for the Pistons as well.
“I thought it was awesome,” Bickerstaff said of Green’s performance. “He hit big shots for us. He does a great job of spacing the floor, but he's elite defensively. You can put him on matchup one through four, and he does a phenomenal job of making whoever he's guarding’s life miserable. Great positional defender, got great feet, understands our system, does a great job keeping the ball to the system, but you can trust him and he's just reliable.”
Now, the Pistons will turn their attention to the New York Knicks for a 7 pm tip-off tomorrow night at home in a battle of two teams at the top of the Eastern Conference.
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