Daniss Jenkins’ confidence never wavered.
Not when he went undrafted out of St. John’s in 2024, nor when he spent the majority of his NBA rookie season playing for the Detroit Pistons’ G League affiliate.
So while the 24-year-old point guard’s key role on the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons this season caught many by surprise, it was all part of Jenkins’ vision.
“It’s been everything that I’ve ever dreamed of,” Jenkins told the Daily News on Thursday after shootaround at Madison Square Garden.
“It’s really like an American dream. You stay down, you work hard at the things that you want to achieve, and it seems unachievable until you do it. I’ve just been blessed, and it’s been very fulfilling to see it all play out the way I envisioned.”
Jenkins entered Thursday night’s meeting with the Knicks averaging 8.1 points and 3.2 assists in 16.9 minutes per game over 44 appearances, including seven starts.
His 38.1% rate from 3-point range ranked third among Detroit regulars.
Earlier this month, the Pistons signed Jenkins to a standard NBA contract, replacing the two-way deal he was playing on and solidifying his place on the roster.
“I knew I would make my way, but I didn’t know how loud my impact would be,” Jenkins said. “I knew once I got my opportunity, I would take the world by storm. That’s how I felt, just because of the way I can impact a team. Not even talking about the stats or anything, making or missing shots, just my presence on the team. My ability to impact winning.”
The Dallas-born Jenkins spent two collegiate seasons at University of the Pacific and another at Odessa College (a JUCO in West Texas) before transferring to Iona before the 2022-23 season to play under Rick Pitino.
Jenkins was an All-MAAC second-team selection in his lone season at Iona, helping lead the Gaels to a conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
After St. John’s hired Pitino in March 2023, Jenkins agreed to follow the coach there, becoming the first player to commit to the Storm in the Pitino era.
At the time, Jenkins spoke about bringing a winning culture to St. John’s, which had made just three NCAA Tournament appearances in the previous 21 years.
While St. John’s finished 20-13 that year — just shy of a Big Dance berth — Jenkins did his part, leading the team in points (14.9), assists (5.4) and steals (1.9) per game.
Jenkins says he still watches every St. John’s game and that it’s been “real special” to see the Red Storm ascend. After winning the Big East last season, the Red Storm improved Wednesday to 21-5, including 14-1 in conference play, this year.
“Obviously, it’s bittersweet, because it’s like it gets better as you leave,” said Jenkins, who competed alongside current St. John’s players Zuby Ejiofor and Sadiku Ibine Ayo while he was there.
“But I’m glad to know that I kind of set the foundation for what it means to play for Rick Pitino and the type of culture that he builds. I’m just excited to see it, and I really hope they can make a big run in the tournament.”
Thursday marked Jenkins’ first game at the Garden since the 2023 Big East Tournament, where St. John’s lost to UConn in the semifinal round.
Although the Pistons played five games at MSG last season — including the playoffs — Jenkins was not elevated for any of them.
Jenkins appeared in only seven NBA games as a rookie, but he stood out on the Motor City Cruise, averaging 21.2 points, 7.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game en route to G League All-Rookie honors.
The 6-3 guard’s NBA breakout began in November with a five-game stretch in which he averaged 20.2 points in 34.4 minutes per game. That hot streak coincided with the absence of guard Jaden Ivey, who didn’t make his season debut until Nov. 22 after undergoing a pair of leg surgeries.
The emergence of Jenkins made Ivey — the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft — expendable, and the Pistons traded him to the Chicago Bulls this month.
Jenkins is now the primary backup to Pistons star Cade Cunningham. On Feb. 6, Jenkins scored a team-high 18 points in the Pistons’ 118-80 win over the short-handed Knicks in Detroit.
“A guy that plays on both ends of the court is very valuable, especially at the guard position,” Jenkins said. “It’s not like I’m a pushover on defense. I’m picking you up at 94 feet. I’m a dog. I can block shots. And then we get on offense, and I’m talented as well. That’s tough to deal with.”
Pitino said he planned to be at Thursday’s game, while Jenkins expected friends from Iona to be in attendance, too.
For Jenkins, it felt “pretty big time” to be back at the Garden, this time as an NBA player. Even though he never doubted it would happen.
“I knew my route and my journey would be a little bit different, given I was a late bloomer in high school,” Jenkins said. “I knew it would take longer to get here. But I always knew what my end goal was.”
