With Russell Westbrook missing games last season, Reggie Jackson had somewhat of a breakout year while filling in for the All-Star point guard. He had career highs of 13.1 points, 4.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals while shooting 33.9 percent from three. Jackson started 36 games in place of Westbrook and performed well enough that he replaced a fading Thabo Sefalosha at shooting guard for four games in the playoffs.
More from NBA
- NBA insider: Cavaliers should consider trading Donovan Mitchell
- NBA rumors: Hawks trade candidate, Sixers miss out, Lakers almost lose Reaves
- NBA insider explains real reason the Grizzlies were done with Dillon Brooks
- Knicks projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
- Rockets projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
Talking with Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman, Jackson said he wants to be a starter for the Oklahoma City Thunder. His listed position is point guard, but with Westbrook firmly at the 1 that’s a pipe dream. Rather, Jackson returning to a starting role at the 2-guard sport is more realistic, where he can compete with Anthony Morrow and Jeremy Lamb.
That’s rather confident from Jackson, who’s been working on his game all summer to make a leap. Last season, Jackson took most of his shots from beyond the arc (.294) and under the basket (.285) according to basketball-reference.com. He told Mayberry that he has been working on his mid-range game.
"Probably just the pull-up game. Mid-range. I’m still staying consistent working on 3s. I can definitely up my percentage in 3s by cutting down some of the nonsense shots at the end of quarters that aren’t going to have a chance to go in. But just working on the mid-range game."
Jackson also said he wants to work on his floater and get his overall shooting percentage up to around 50 percent. Other than seeing a more diverse shot selection, Jackson says people will see a different player.
"Probably an even more confident player. Just somebody who’s going to go out there and be free flowing. I think the great players in this league treat it as pick-up. They just go out there and have fun. They don’t really think necessarily too much. They just play instinctively. I’m still trying to get better at not beating myself up about plays. Try to learn from them. I’ve got to move on and just continue to play and just correct myself and understand I’ve been playing this game my whole life."
You have to appreciate Jackson’s confidence, but Thunder fans may worry about him turning into a volume shooter. For one, you don’t want to treat the NBA like it is a pick-up game. Just ask the And 1 Mixtape guys who hoped to make it to the league. Yes, you want to have fun, but the best NBA teams carefully select their shots and craft their systems. I’m not exactly sure the whole “hey, I’ve been playing this game forever so I’m just going to do me” thing is the right frame of mind.
Maybe that’s not what Jackson meant and maybe all his practice will allow him to be instinctively smart, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.