Detroit’s Reggie Jackson is back but he’s not the same

Detroit Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson has returned, but he’s different now. It’s obvious when watching his game. It’s time to be excited.

I’ve been on both sides of the Reggie Jackson argument multiple times now, going back and forth between optimistic and pessimistic. Probably more so than most. I’ve been on the receiving end of a bad knee injury and I know just how long it can take to fully recover. But I’ve always wondered whether Jackson would actually come back, and if he would be the point guard the Detroit Pistons need. After watching him under a microscope in the Little Caesars Arena opener, I see that my worries may have been unfounded.

Reggie Jackson had an unimpressive scoring night with 13 points on 50 percent shooting. But despite appearances, this is something great. Reggie Jackson has learned to defer and move the ball. He had eight assists accompanied by zero turnovers. He often let Tobias Harris take control, especially in the first half, who had the hot hand with 27 points in 34 minutes. While he has seemed to regain his ability to explode off screens, he’s changed his game.

“I think everybody notices it because if you’re watching, there’s a lot less pounding the ball,”  coach Stan Van Gundy said after the game. “He’s not out there 15, 16 dribbles. He makes his move and he makes the pass and so that’s contagious and it allows other people to play and, plus, the fact (he had) eight assists and no turnovers.”

And contagious it was, the ball movement last night was the best I’d seen by the Pistons in quite a while. The Pistons had 24 assists on 41 made buckets. That’s over 50 percent, and it was fun to watch.

Next: Stanley Johnson and the confounding box score

While seemingly quiet, Reggie Jackson was a very strong force in the win. Him learning to trust his teammates will be very important in the growth of this team. Hell, that’s how Jordan beat the Pistons so long ago. While Detroit may not go on to become the dynasty the Bulls were, the bright future is still here.