Reggie Jackson is the Key to Pistons’ Success
Reggie Jackson has a bright future with the Detroit Pistons and is the key to his team’s success this season.
Reggie Jackson is flying under the radar as the Detroit Pistons‘ point guard with the development of Andre Drummond. Jackson appears to be part of the team’s future plans and for good reason as he has been the key to the Pistons’ success.
Jackson, 25, has proven himself as the difference maker in Pistons’ wins this season. In fact, there is a drastic difference between Jackson’s numbers in wins compared to his numbers in losses.
Starting with the basic statistics, Jackson is averaging 23.2 points per game, 6.7 assists per game and 5.3 rebounds per game in wins. In losses he is down to 15 points per game, 5.7 assists per game and 3.4 rebounds per game.
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Part of the reason Jackson is playing better in wins is because there is a significant drop-off in talent at the point guard position as opposed to games the Pistons have lost.
For example, the notable point guards that Jackson has played against in wins are Damian Lillard, Brandon Knight, Derrick Rose and Ricky Rubio. Meanwhile, Jackson has played against Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, John Wall and Russell Westbrook in losses. Jackson needs to step up against tougher competition.
Jackson’s success shouldn’t be discredited because of the competition he’s played though. He has made the most of his opportunities. In fact, Jackson’s success in wins is attributed more to his offensive impact than on defense.
Jackson is more aggressive on offense in games that the Pistons win. Out of his 77 total free-throw attempts, 48 (62-percent) of them have come in wins. This indicates that Jackson is driving through the paint to attack the basket more in wins than in losses.
Having the ability to drive through the paint and get fouled provides an opportunity to kick the ball out to the Pistons’ talented three-point shooters. With the number of three-point shooters that Jackson plays with, it sets up a better opportunity to create shots for them and get Jackson more assists.
Reggie just bursts with explosion to the rim. He is the key to this team's success. #Pistons
— Aaron Ferguson (@Sports_Aaron) December 1, 2015
Not only is Jackson creating better shots for his teammates, he is creating better shots for himself. This is evident by his 49-percent field goal percentage and a three-point percentage of 52.9-percent in wins.
Having the ability to drive and create shots forces defenders to back off when defending Jackson on the perimeter, which allows Jackson to get open looks on three-point attempts.
| Season | Age | Tm | Pos | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 24 | TOT | PG | 77 | 40 | 29.5 | 5.6 | 12.9 | .434 | 0.9 | 3.1 | .299 | 2.4 | 2.8 | .830 | 4.2 | 6.0 | 14.5 |
| 2014-15 | 24 | OKC | PG | 50 | 13 | 28.0 | 5.0 | 11.5 | .432 | 0.9 | 3.2 | .278 | 2.0 | 2.3 | .861 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 12.8 |
| 2014-15 | 24 | DET | PG | 27 | 27 | 32.2 | 6.8 | 15.6 | .436 | 1.0 | 3.1 | .337 | 3.0 | 3.8 | .796 | 4.7 | 9.2 | 17.6 |
| 2015-16 | 25 | DET | PG | 18 | 18 | 31.0 | 7.0 | 16.7 | .420 | 1.6 | 4.4 | .354 | 3.6 | 4.3 | .831 | 4.4 | 6.2 | 19.1 |
| Career | 290 | 94 | 22.7 | 4.0 | 9.3 | .431 | 0.8 | 2.5 | .301 | 1.7 | 1.9 | .853 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 10.4 | |||
| 2 seasons | DET | 45 | 45 | 31.7 | 6.9 | 16.0 | .429 | 1.2 | 3.6 | .346 | 3.2 | 4.0 | .811 | 4.6 | 8.0 | 18.2 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/2/2015.
Jackson needs to improve on the defensive end to have a greater impact on the team. He is still maturing as a point guard, but improving his defense will allow the Pistons to create better match-ups. Shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has improved his defense and will typically guard scoring point guards to make up for Jackson’s inability to defend point guards.
If Jackson is going to take his game to the next level, he needs to be aggressive on offense every night. As shown in Pistons’ wins, being more aggressive has helped create shots for the entire team. Jackson has the potential to make another leap in his game if he can be more aggressive and improve defensively.
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Regardless of when Jackson takes his game to the next level, he has proven that he’s already a key part of the Pistons’ success. He needs to continue to play well and help win games for the Pistons. He is the difference maker for the Pistons this year.