Detroit Pistons: 2017-18 NBA season preview

Storyline 3: How much was Reggie’s play based on health?

No player had a more publicized disappointing year than Jackson in 2016-17. That does not mean he was actually the most disappointing player in the league, only that he is the one who played the most during his letdown of a season.

There is a reason Jackson kept getting chances despite finishing 69th among 80 qualified point guards in Real Plus-Minus: He is good. There are other reasons too (he has a prickly ego, and the Pistons had enough chemistry issues as it were last season), but Jackson’s talent and upside is much higher than that of Ish Smith, no matter how much better a season the latter was having.

It is clear that Jackson was playing hurt last year. He missed the first 21 games with a left knee injury, and never got fully right. His 14.5 points and 51.0 true shooting percentage were well below his totals from the previous season (18.6 points, 53.5 true shooting percentage), which was a career-year for Jackson.

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Therein is the concern, though. Jackson’s 2015-16 numbers are an outlier across his career — not only by his raw numbers, but in terms of efficiency and per-minute production. If he is at all permanently compromised physically, he may not have the room for error or the foundation to fall back on.

Bad point guard play destroys a team’s season like nothing else, and Van Gundy cannot afford to miss the playoffs again. Jackson’s leash will be shorter, as it should be. Smith outplayed him all of last season, and the non-shooting floor general will be even more effective with better spacing around him. Galloway, who Van Gundy gave $21 million on Day 1 of free agency, is also capable.

Still, a healthy and productive Jackson is this team’s only shot at quality starting point guard play. If he cannot reach something close to the level he was at during his first season and a half in Detroit, the Pistons will find themselves scraping to remain in playoff contention yet again.