Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said Friday that the organization intends to convert two-way guard Daniss Jenkins to a standard NBA contract ahead of Monday’s road matchup against the Charlotte Hornets.
Jenkins officially reached his NBA two-way eligibility limit on Friday and followed that milestone with a performance that underscored why Detroit wants him on the full 15-man roster.
Jenkins led the Pistons with 18 points as Detroit, which sits atop the Eastern Conference standings, cruised to a blowout win over the second-place New York Knicks.
The guard had been held out of Thursday’s loss to the Washington Wizards, a decision made with Friday’s game in mind.
“I was really frustrated yesterday because I didn’t get to play,” Jenkins told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press.
“I hate missing games. I just wanted to come out and impact the game. We forgot about it, we flushed that game yesterday, but it’s still on my mind. It was definitely not a game that we should have lost. I just wanted to come out and impact the game like I always do. Just change the energy. My teammates played really well tonight. We all played a really good game and I just had to come in and do my job.”
Jenkins’ rise played a role in Detroit’s roster decisions, including making former lottery pick Jaden Ivey expendable in a trade to the Chicago Bulls.
Jenkins, who entered the league without being drafted, said that background continues to fuel his approach.
“If I’m being honest, and everybody knows I’m a very humble guy, but in college, most of these dudes that got drafted, what was the difference between me and them?” he said.
“What? You tell me, what was the difference? For me, going undrafted is insanity to me, literally insanity, and that burns inside of me every single day.”
Pistons Notes: Jenkins, Trade Deadline, Buyout Market, Huerter https://t.co/TS1bGQ1ctQ pic.twitter.com/89147rEQKp
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) February 7, 2026
