Jarrett Jack: “I would love to be back here.”
By John Adair
Golden State Warriors fans have received great news for their team’s future. Back-up point guard Jarrett Jack has told his agent and management that he wants to be back in Golden State next season.
Jack is a free agent as of July. He could undoubtedly move on to another team into a starting role, but Jack stated, “I think it’s just a perfect marriage. My teammates, the camaraderie we have, I like my role. I like what I’m able to bring to this team.”
With Stephen Curry’s emergence as an NBA superstar, Jack’s contributions have been overlooked at times. However, the importance of a back-up of the veteran point guard’s caliber can never be underestimated. Jack averaged 12.9 points and 5.6 assists in nearly 30 minutes per game off the bench this season. His minutes have increased in Golden State’s first-round match-up with the Denver Nuggets after the injury to All-Star David Lee, and his play has picked up as well. In nearly 40 minutes per game through the first four games, Jack has averaged 20 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in route to a 3-1 series lead.
Regardless of only four starts this season, Jack has remained an important role throughout the game and in the fourth quarter. Bringing Jack back to back-up Stephen Curry would be monumental for the success of this up-and-coming franchise. Mark Jackson has gone with a three-guard line-up of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Jarrett Jack many times this series without David Lee, and it has proven successful.
When asked about his future, Jack had this to say, “Could I go somewhere else and start? Yeah. But I like who we have here. I like the role that I’m in and am comfortable in. If it’s able to work out, I would love to be back here.”
It is clear that Jack would like to be a part of the Warriors’ long-term plans, but what remains to be unseen is what those plans consist of on Golden State’s part. More likely than not, management is ecstatic that Jack has expressed interest in coming back, despite being in a reserve role.