When the Pistons acquired point guard Reggie Jackson from the Oklahoma City Thunder via trade, an opportunity presented itself for Jackson to take on a more primary role as a lead guard. After being traded to Detroit he averaged over 17 points and 9 assists in 27 games under Stan Van Gundy. Jackson’s recent five-year, $80 million extension validated how Van Gundy later said he felt about keeping him.
What’s strongest about Jackson’s game is his ability to put the ball on the floor, attack off the dribble and get into the paint. He’s not known as a shooting threat, but he can certainly knock down shots and has fine shooting form. During the offseason the Pistons enlisted shooting coach Dave Hopla to help address the particular foundational aspects of Jackson’s shot.
Stan Van Gundy’s assessment, via Pistons.com:
I don’t remember exactly who detected it first but we noticed he was actually a little knock-kneed on his shot. So as he went into his stance and gather, his knees came together, which was really taking a lot of the power out of his shot. So to generate power, he had to create a lot of motion in his shot and anybody will tell you the more motion you have, the harder it is to be consistent. He worked very, very hard on it and he’s got a great-looking shot. So the fact he’s been able to get more from his legs and shorten up his delivery, if you look – his release, his follow-through, his rotation on the ball are great. I think he’s going to shoot the ball very, very well.
And from Jackson himself:
“They found I had a problem basically with my leg strength. My knees collapse, so I wasn’t getting power on my shot. They thought it was a pretty good stroke, so I wanted to work on my lower-body strength with my strength coach. It was hard to break. It was annoying. There were literally frustrating days, but I’m happy about all the work we put in to try to redefine the base of my shot. I think it’s been helping tremendously on my consistency in shooting.”
In four NBA seasons, Jackson has shot under 30 percent from beyond the three-point line. His numbers are better as a midrange shooter, but nothing close to an elite standing. Today’s elite guards are mostly elite shooting threats, so if that’s the Pistons’ true aim for Jackson, to be an elite guard, then making strides in this area will be an important factor.
