Reggie Jackson Gets Fresh Start, Massive Opportunity with Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are prepared to give Reggie Jackson something the Oklahoma City Thunder never did: a chance to prove himself as a first-unit leader for the long term.

As part of a three-team trade first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Jackson is headed to Detroit to take over duties as the team's starting point guard. Brandon Jennings' season ended early because of a ruptured Achilles tendon, and D.J. Augustin—Jennings' replacement—is headed to the Thunder to replace Jackson.

Detroit's point guard duties fall almost exclusively to Jackson now. And the stakes are high.

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From a team perspective, the Pistons need Jackson's athleticism and shot creation to propel their offense forward as they fight with a half-dozen other Eastern Conference teams for a bottom-four playoff spot.

With Wojnarowski and ESPN.com reporting that the Miami Heat acquired Goran Dragic and the Milwaukee Bucks shook up their roster in a big way, the race for those bottom-half seeds looks less predictable than ever.

The Pistons are currently two games behind Miami for the eighth seed.

If Jackson can put a charge into Detroit's backcourt, it could go a long way toward making head coach Stan Van Gundy's first season with the Pistons a pleasant one.

For Jackson, personally, this stretch run will be the biggest pivot point in his career to date.

He'll be a restricted free agent this summer, and a strong performance in a leading role could result in a hefty contract offer—something we know he expects as Jackson turned down a four-year, $48 million offer from OKC this past offseason, per Sam Amick of USA Today:

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The two sides couldn't reach an agreement on an extension leading up to the Oct. 31 deadline, when Jackson was pushing for a Eric Bledsoe-esque kind of deal (the Phoenix Suns point guard was given a five-year, $70 million extension) and the Thunder were more willing to pay him Kemba Walker money (the Charlotte Hornets point guard signed a four-year, $48 million extension).

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Teams around the league have an idea of what Jackson can do as a reserve, but it remains to be seen how he'll fare as an unquestioned starter.

If his splits with the Thunder this season are any indication, we could see Jackson take his new role and run with it.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, he's been markedly more productive whenever he's been on the floor for the opening tip:

At the same time, some of Jackson's shortcomings will be harder to hide in extended minutes. He's never been a steady three-point shooter, and his accuracy from deep has taken a real hit this season, per Kirk Goldsberry of Grantland:

Detroit's offensive spacing was atrocious last year, mainly because Josh Smith (since waived) spent plenty of minutes at the small forward spot and no shooting guard on the roster could, well, shoot.

Jodie Meeks came on board over the summer, and along with a few other lineup tweaks, Detroit has successfully spread things out.

Through the All-Star break, the Pistons attempted the 10th-most three-point shots per game in the league, according to NBA.com. Last year, they ranked 22nd.

Adding Jackson, or at least the version of Jackson that hasn't been able to hit a perimeter shot this season, risks sacrificing the spacing Detroit has worked so hard to create.

However, there's reason to believe Jackson won't perform quite as poorly as he did with the Thunder. He was notably unhappy in his role there, particularly after Dion Waiters came over from the Cleveland Cavaliers and promptly took a colossal bite out of his minutes.

Finally gifted with the big role he's craved, Jackson might suddenly refocus and dial up his outside accuracy. There's a lot to be said for going from a nightmare scenario to a more positive dreamscape, and in terms of opportunities, Jackson has certainly woken to a welcome change:

Don't discount the value of being wanted either.

Jackson comes to Detroit at a cost, and if the Pistons weren't serious about committing to him, he probably wouldn't be there. They know the difficulties that will come with restricted free agency, having just endured them with Greg Monroe.

If they didn't have faith in Jackson as a long-term piece, there wouldn't have been much reason to trade for him—not when the Pistons could have simply made him an offer this coming summer.

Contrast the belief shown by the Pistons with the way OKC treated Jackson, and it's easy to imagine him feeling refreshed.

"We have a chance of winning a championship and if Reggie is not here we still have a chance of winning a championship," Russell Westbrook said, per Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman.

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That had to sting, even if Jackson's financial demands and declining play may have alienated him from the front office and his teammates. He won't be similarly marginalized in Detroit.

He can't be. The Pistons need him too much, especially with Jennings' future—he has one more year and $8.3 million left on his contract—totally up in the air because of injury.

And Jackson needs them.

He needs the platform they're providing to prove he's as good as he thinks he is, to show his former team it made a mistake by limiting his role.

It's too early to say whether Jackson can deliver, but he's getting a clean slate and a fair chance to become the player he thinks he can be.

Just as he's always wanted, the ball's in Jackson's court now.

Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.