Detroit Pistons need more from Reggie Jackson to be successful

The Detroit Pistons struggled without Reggie Jackson last season. They’re struggling right now and will need more from him as the season progresses.

Reggie Jackson was a big reason why the Detroit Pistons had a winning record and ultimately made the playoffs in the 2015-2016 season.

He put the team on his back during that season at times. Since having a career year in 2015, he’s struggled with injuries.

Jackson being off the court has been a big reason why the Pistons haven’t been back to the playoffs since then.

Detroit was just 12-25 without Jackson as their starting point guard last season. They were 27-18 with him on the floor.

Jackson talked about his health quite a bit before the start of the season this year. He can cut again because he spent a lot of time doing rehab during the off-season.

However, due to the rehab, he wasn’t able to hit the court at all during the down months.

I think that might be reflecting his slow start to the season. Let’s take a look at the numbers.

Reggie Jackson by the numbers

Jackson is averaging 16 points and three rebounds a night through the first seven games of the season. Currently he’s third on the team in points per game.

Those numbers can be a bit deceiving. Jackson is not efficient while putting up these numbers.

He’s taking 14 field goal attempts a game and only shooting 35 percent from the field. He’s also shooting just 33 percent from three-point range.

Jackson’s 12.7 player efficiency rating through seven games is very below average. His plus/minus per 100 possessions being -8.0 isn’t going to get it done either.

However, without Jackson on the floor, the Pistons are at a -18.7 per 100 possessions.

There could be a number of reasons why his numbers are down to this point in the season. I previously stated that he didn’t have much of a chance to be in the gym working on his game at all during the off-season.

He’s also playing more shooting guard than he ever has with the Detroit Pistons. During his time on the floor, he’s only been playing point guard for 56 percent of his minutes.

That means he doesn’t have the ball in his hands nearly as much as he did when he was putting up great number a few seasons ago.

Another reason why his offensive numbers have taken a dip is because he’s shooting more three-point attempts than ever before. He’s averaging nearly seven attempts per game.

He’s not using picks to try and get to the rim nearly as much. In my opinion, that’s when Jackson is at his best.

The duo between him and Andre Drummond using the pick and roll was deadly at times because of Jackson’s ability to set up the big man and be able to score effectively in the paint.

Reggie Jackson needs to continue to work and find an identity in Dwane Casey’s new offensive scheme for the Detroit Pistons. He will need to play a big role if this wants to be back in the postseason this year.