Things have went south rather quickly for the Detroit Pistons since the injury to point guard Reggie Jackson. Jackson went down with a bad grade 3 right ankle sprain on December 26, and he could be out for at least another month.
Since the injury, the Pistons are 3-10 and are third-worst in the NBA in offensive efficiency, as they have spiraled to a record of 22-24. Before Jackson went down, the Pistons were in the middle of the pack at No. 15 in that category. Currently, they are on a six-game losing streak and have fallen all the way to the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference. This comes after they got off to a very hot 10-3 start to the season.
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Jackson was having a solid season prior to the injury, averaging 14.8 points and 5.2 assists per game on the season. His importance is now showing, at least on the offensive end. Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley have both been asked to do more, and neither has stepped up. Harris is shooting 43.4 percent from the field and Bradley is shooting just 37.3 percent from the field since Jackson’s absence. Harris is shooting just 28 percent from three, after going 1-for-5 last night against Utah.
Defensively, the Pistons have actually been really good. They’re currently ranked fourth in the league in defensive efficiency, with center Andre Drummond leading the way.
The Pistons are looking for solutions on the offensive end, and hopefully they can find some soon because Jackson isn’t coming back in the near future and the Pistons are on the verge of falling out of the playoff chase.
