Detroit Pistons: Assessing Reggie Jackson’s trade value

2. Starter insurance

In the event that a team’s starting point guard would go down with an injury or struggle to the point of needing to be benched, Jackson could provide that insurance policy. When healthy, he would be the vast majority of teams’ first guard off the bench. He could be thrust into most lineups successfully without experiencing the major regression that most teams do in a situation like that, such as the Golden State Warriors without Stephen Curry.

Jackson isn’t a universal fit like some players with the ability to be successful in any situation. However, he has shown the ability to be successful in the right situation. The majority of coaches that are in charge of playoff teams would know the exact right way to use him in the event they were forced to play without their starting point guard.

Injuries are impossible to predict. A team could remain largely injury free, or it could suffer through injuries to the point of needing the disabled player exception. Jackson could struggle to stay healthy if he is playing starter minutes, but if he is playing a backup role, that would lessen his workload and keep him ready.