The Detroit Pistons had a huge win over the Indiana Pacers last night. Unfortunately, the score is not the big news that came out of last night’s win, as starting point guard Reggie Jackson went down with a scary ankle injury.
As Reggie was helped off the floor into the locker room, fans were left to only guess how long he would be out for. The replay of the injury looked bad, as his ankle nearly touched the floor.
Ankles aren't supposed to bend that way. Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson came down funky on his foot and screamed. He couldn't walk on it. pic.twitter.com/dlHNMtExel
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) December 27, 2017
Piston’s fans now have their answer for how long Jackson will be out, as NBA insider Sham Charania reported today he could miss up to two months.
Detroit guard Reggie Jackson has suffered a Grade 3 right ankle sprain and will be re-evaluated in 6 to 8 weeks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 27, 2017
Jackson’s injury comes at a very unfortunate time as fellow backcourt mate, Avery Bradley is also currently sidelined with a groin injury. The Pistons also appeared to just be finding their groove again, winning five of their last six games.
The Pistons and Stan Van Gundy will look towards Ish Smith to run the Pistons offense for the next six to eight weeks. Fortunately for the Pistons, Ish Smith happens to be one of the most qualified backup point guards in the league. Smith is averaging roughly nine points and four assists in just 20 minutes of gametime.
This is not the first time the Pistons will rely on Ish Smith to run the Pistons’ offense as the Pistons were without Reggie Jackson all throughout last year due to injury as well. Smith is a different type of player than Jackson. Smith is the definition of a pass-first point guard and plays at a much faster pace than Jackson. The Pistons will be in good hands with Ish Smith, but losing Reggie certainly hurts the Pistons, who are having a great year so far.
