of the Detroit Pistons has always had the skill to be an impact NBA player but he has yet to put it all together. He is in a contract year, so the Pistons are going to have to make a decision on him soon, and Jackson could be player who does not
We all know the knocks on Jackson at this point: His shooting is erratic. He turns the ball over too much. He sometimes makes bad decisions with the ball.
But there are plenty of positives as well, especially this preseason, when we have seen signs that Josh Jackson is finally going to put it all together as a player.
Detroit Pistons: Josh Jackson is a team leader
One thing that is clear about Jackson is that he is one of the emotional leaders of the Detroit Pistons. His energy gets the team going, especially on the defensive end, which we saw in the preseason finale against Philadelphia where Jackson injected energy into the team with a couple of big blocks and hustle plays. https://twitter.com/DetroitPistons/status/1449272184325746688 Jackson is also not afraid to mix it up with the opponent and doesn’t back down, which is an attitude I love. Let’s also not forget that he is from Michigan and actually wants to be in Detroit. He loves the city and his passion comes through on the court. https://twitter.com/DetroitPistons/status/1449200937348784129 Josh Jackson should emerge as one of the leaders of the Pistons this season and we are already seeing positive signs that he will through his defense, hustle and energy. However, all of those things won’t matter if he can’t improve in other areas, and so far there are signs that he has.
Detroit Pistons: Josh Jackson looks more confident shooting the ball
Jackson shot the ball consistently in the preseason, which is something we have been dying to see. Jackson had some big games for the Pistons last season but you could not count on his shot from night to night, which is something that has to change if he wants to be part of the long-term plans in Detroit.
The Pistons have too many athletic defenders who can’t shoot, so one of them is going to have to improve or is likely to be
Jackson was awful from 3-point range last season, hitting just 30 percent on just over four attempts per game. In the preseason, Jackson was still letting them fly, upping his 3-point attempts to 5.5 per game and hitting 36.4 percent of them. No one is going to mistake Jackson for Stephen Curry but if he can hit around this percentage for the season that would be a huge step in the right direction and give the Detroit Pistons another weapon on offense. Right now the Pistons are one of the easiest teams in the league to defend, as teams are just going to sag and make them penetrate into defenders. If Jackson can hit 3-point shots at a higher clip, it will open up his own drives and the Pistons’ offense in general.
Detroit Pistons: Josh Jackson can be a playmaker
Last season Josh Jackson was a turnover machine who often put his head down, drove to the hoop and either put up a contested shot or threw it away after running into defenders. He averaged more turnovers than assists last season, coughing it up 2.4 times per game to his 2.3 assists, which in case you aren’t into math, is really bad.
Let’s face it, if Jackson were putting up those numbers on a contending team last season, he would have found himself on the bench. So far in the preseason there are signs that he is cleaning it up, as he averaged 4.2 assists and only 1.2 turnovers per game. If Jackson could achieve this assist to turnover ratio for the season, it would be a massive lift to the young Pistons, who are going to have trouble with turnovers and likely
struggle late in games because of it.
It is only four preseason games, so until we see this consistently over time we can’t get too excited but there are some signs that Josh Jackson is improving in the areas he needs to. He is going to be a fan-favorite in Detroit, so let’s hope that he keeps this up and the Pistons sign him for the long term, as I love him as the emotional leader of this team.