2) Clippers don’t get worse, Lakers don’t get better
No matter your fan base, if you’ve followed the NBA, you know who Jackson is. Whether it’s from his time as a backup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, or his tenure with the Detroit Pistons, he’s a household name.
And more importantly, not someone you’d think would be on the buyout market.
But the Pistons are pivoting to a rebuild after losing Blake Griffin to season-ending knee surgery, so they set their point guard free. Jackson left straight for Los Angeles, where he joins his friend Paul George on the Clippers roster.
The transaction was met with mixed reactions from fans, and understandably so. Those who’ve watched Jackson closely know how good he can be, but his health has always been dodgy.
Then why do we have the signing ranked so high? Well, two reasons.
Los Angeles was rolling out just one true point guard, Patrick Beverley, before adding Jackson. In their newest addition, they get a more true facilitator who averaged 5.1 assists in Detroit.
And while Beverley’s certainly a competitor, his scoring lacks a certain consistency that their newest point guard will no doubt provide. Jackson averaged 14.9 points in his 14 appearances for Detroit this season. Even better? The Clippers kept him away from the Lakers.
The two Los Angeles teams have reignited a cross-town rivalry this season, and it’s come down to every game and every player that’s been made available.
First, the Clippers pulled off a trade for Marcus Morris. Next, they got Jackson, who the Lakers no doubt would have welcomed as the leader of the second unit over Alex Caruso or Rajon Rondo.
Keeping Jackson off of the Lakers, where he’d see a higher volume of touches and therefore likely produce even more on the court is a win for the Clippers in every sense of the word. And Jackson’s been producing in Los Angeles. He’s averaging 9.6 points and 4.2 assists over five games.