Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson was held out of Monday’s game and could be shut down for the remainder of the season, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
Jackson has been battling tendinitis in his left knee since October. He missed the season’s first 21 games after receiving platelet-rich plasma injections and was recently put in a platoon with Ish Smith to reduce his minutes. As a result, Jackson’s stats in points (14.5 per game), assists (5.2) and rebounds (2.2) all down significantly from last season.
Detroit coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said Jackson is doubtful tonight against Miami in a crucial matchup in the playoff race. That would give him four days of rest before Thursday’s game against Brooklyn, and the coach said “we’ll see” if Jackson can be ready then. Van Gundy consulted Monday with owner Tom Gores before deciding to keep Jackson on the bench.
“We’ve been thinking about this for a long time. It’s hard to put a percentage, but he’s been playing at probably about 80 percent and as we get into this stretch of games in March where we’re playing a lot, the fatigue is making it worse,” Van Gundy said. “We were at a stretch in the year where it wasn’t fair for him that we were running him out there and putting pressure on him. He’s seeing things he should be able to do and he just can’t do them. He’s not feeling pain, but he can’t make the plays he wants to make and we’re putting him out there.”
The Pistons are fighting for their playoff lives with just eight games remaining. They have dropped seven of their last last eight, but trail the eighth-place Heat by just a game and a half heading into tonight’s showdown.
Smith moved into the starting role for the past two games, with veteran Beno Udrih as his backup. Depending on the Pistons’ success and the status of Jackson’s knee, that could be the arrangement through the end of the season.
“As much as [Jackson] wants to, he can’t right now,” Van Gundy said. “It’s amazing what he’s done to average 14.5 points, 5 assists in 27 minutes, not anywhere near at full strength. To his credit, he fought me on it. He wanted to keep going.”
Jackson is finishing up the second season of a five-year, $80MM deal he signed in 2015. Although he has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the season, Van Gundy said Jackson remains in the Pistons’ plans for the future.
“The thing we look forward to is getting a fresh start in the offseason and being able to go through the preparation for a season like he did last year,” Van Gundy said. “… Physically, there’s no structural damage so we’re very optimistic that he’ll be able to get back to that.”