Point guard Reggie Jackson made his preseason debut last night, in a 107-97 Detroit Pistons win over the visiting Indiana Pacers.
Reggie Jackson‘s struggles with staying on the court date back to last season. He’s been dealing with knee and groin issues on and off, but appeared more than healthy in his preseason debut for the Detroit Pistons.
Take into account that Jackson hasn’t played almost any basketball since late March, and that makes his performance last night all the more impressive.
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In 26 minutes of play, he tallied 14 points, 6 assists-and most impressive-zero turnovers.
There’s a lot of positive takeaways from last night’s game Piston fans, but you have to be most excited to see Jackson closer to peak form.
A couple things stand out to me after watching Jackson’s full performance.
One, the six assists he recorded without any of the team’s starters. Any familiarity with the Pistons’ second unit is a good thing.
Last year, he averaged 5.2 assists per game, which sounds pretty good on paper. But then you remember he appeared for only 52 games, and the team recorded a 37-45 record and missed the playoffs.
I’ve previously mentioned an improvement in Jackson’s passing as a goal for next season, and he certainly looks as if he’s going to make an attempt.
Two, his 26-minute exposure.
Pistons beat writer Keith Langlois reported Jackson was expect to play only six minutes of the first and third quarters.
That developed into additional six minute spurts for both the second and fourth quarter however.
Head coach Stan Van Gundy says it was Jackson’s choice (per Langlois’ column on NBA.com):
"“He wanted to go. Even at the end of the third quarter, I asked him if he wanted to come back in the fourth and he did. It was good from a conditioning thing to have him go through that.”"
Seeing him play to such an extent, and willingly at that, is a good notion for where his confidence level sits.
The six-year veteran saw a confidence boost when making moves around Indiana point guard Darren Collison.
"“I think I felt a little confidence today when I was able to turn the corner. It felt good to turn the corner on a speedy guard (Darren Collison) in this league.”"
At this point, Jackson says coach Van Gundy hasn’t yet ruled him out for tonight’s game vs Toronto.
"“I’ll go and take care of my body right after this and do everything I can to be ready. If my name’s called, I’ll be ready for tomorrow.”"
The starting point guard’s availability next season affects not only himself, but also backup Ish Smith.
Smith was notably better last season when playing the second unit, and hasn’t looked great in Jackson’s place during the preseason.
For now, Jackson seems eager as ever to get back on the floor and prove his place as a top point guard in this league. Health allowing, he may very well do so.
Next: 5 goals for Andre Drummond this season
The Detroit Pistons will play their fourth preseason game Tuesday night against the Toronto Raptors.