The 2016-17 season has been somewhat of a lost season for Reggie Jackson.
After having the best year and a half of his career after being dealt to the Pistons before the 2015 NBA trade deadline, Jackson missed the first 20 games of the 2016-17 season with chronic knee pain and has been unable to play with the same effectiveness in 52 games this season.
His numbers are down across the board (except for three-point shooting) and his defense has been a liability for a Pistons team that has looked much better with Ish Smith running the point.
Detroit has lost seven of eight games and are 1.5 games out the No. 8 seed currently. It seems as though whether they think playing Jackson would actually help or hamper their playoff chances, they feel they best way to protect their long-term investment is to sit Jackson potentially for the remainder of the season.
Here is what Head Coach Stan Van Gundy told Fox Sports Detroit:
“We’ve been thinking about this, actually for a long time, OK? And he’s been playing at — it’s just hard to put a percentage — but probably at about 80 percent. And as we get into this stretch of games in March where we’re playing a lot, the fatigue is just making it worse.”
“He’s been a warrior. He’s tried to fight through it. He’s been frustrated, because he sees openings and things on the court that he just hasn’t been able to get to. I think part of it is a confidence thing.”
“…And I think the thing that we really look forward to, and he looks forward to, is getting a fresh start in the offseason and being able to go through the preparation for a season like he did last year. And not only get right physically, but really get his confidence back to be able to attack and make the plays he’s had.”
Shutting Jackson down seems like the best long term move for Jackson, and that should be priority No. 1. Honestly, it seems as though it is the best move in the short term for a struggling team trying to salvage their playoff hopes as well.
