Central Notes: Jackson, Wade, Bulls

One of the biggest factors that will influence the fate of the Pistons is just how well Reggie Jackson manages to bounce back after a disappointing 2016/17 campaign. The 27-year-old guard, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press says, appears right on schedule following lingering knee issues from last season.

The technical term for Jackson’s knee issue is tendinosis, which Ellis describes as chronic tendinitis. As such, knee woes aren’t exactly new for the Pistons guard and he’s supposedly been impacted by them since he was drafted back in 2011. It was recovery from the platelet-rich plasma injection that he received last offseason, however, that set his 2016/17 campaign askew from the start.

A healthy Jackson is an incredibly potent weapon for the Pistons and Lang Green of Basketball Insiders reminds us that the playmaker averaged a staggering 17.6 points and 9.2 assists per game in his first half year with the club. Do the Pistons still hold Jackson in the same regard following last year’s disappointing results though? And how long will his leash be in 2017/18?

A healthy Jackson tends to inspire Andre Drummond and an enthusiastic Drummond can be a game-changer for a Pistons team that seemed to lack motivation last year. If Jackson can stay healthy and produce as he did when he earned his lofty contract extension back in the summer of 2015, we could very well see Detroit pick up where they left off at the end of 2015/16.

There’s more from the Central Division:

• The Bulls squandered Jimmy Butler and it has left the franchise a wreck, Dan Feldman of NBC Sports says in his review of the club’s offseason.
• Time to bring out your tinfoil banana boat again — LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are working out together, Alex Tekip of ESPN writes. If the Bulls buy Wade out, he could join his former teammate on the Cavaliers.
• The Pistons don’t have any mega-stars in an era that virtually requires them, Rod Beard of the Detroit News writes, suggesting their title outlook is dim. The league, he says, just isn’t what it used to be back in 2004, when Detroit last won a ring with no superstars.