John Jenkins
John Jenkins was the sole starter on Portland’s Summer League team not on the 2017-2018 regular season roster. Nonetheless, he still served a vital role in the offense, especially from beyond the arc.
In the seven games of the Blazers championship run, Jenkins averaged 12.0 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists on 70% shooting. He ranked third on the team in points per game despite playing the sixth most minutes (21.6).
Jenkins led the team in field goal percentage too; he hit 32 of 46 attempts. The fact that he shot 20 of those attempts from three and converted 12 of them makes that top ranking even more impressive.
Neil Olshey has expressed a desire for more three-point shooting next season. He replaced Pat Connaughton and Shabazz Napier with Nik Stauskas and Seth Curry to enforce this change, as well as drafted Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent Jr.
John Jenkins becomes another piece of the puzzle if he signs a two-way contract with Portland.
Like McDaniels, Jenkins also has NBA experience – he has played in 145 games over his five-year career. In those 145 games, he averaged 5.1 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.7 three-pointers on 44.8% field goal shooting and 36.4% three-point shooting.
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Last year, the Blazers selected players not on its Summer League team as its two-way players for 2017-2018. The same could happen this year, but if the franchise decides to sign internally, KJ McDaniels and John Jenkins are the way to go.
McDaniels provides energy, experience and athleticism; Jenkins provides consistent three-point shooting and experience. Like with Wade Baldwin last season, either could prove useful down the stretch while Portland fights for playoff positioning.