Pistons guard Reggie Jackson officially shut down for season

As a disappointing season winds down, Reggie Jackson has been shut down by the Detroit Pistons.

With eight losses in their last 10 games, the Detroit Pistons have faded quickly from the race for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Three games back of the Miami Heat for the No. 8 seed with four games to go puts Detroit in position to look toward next season, with official playoff elimination possibly coming as soon as Thursday nigh. Based on news from earlier in the day on Thursday, that’s just what they’re doing.

According to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, head coach Stan Van Gundy said Henry Ellenson and Boban Marjanovic will see more playing time over the final four games this season. Point guard Reggie Jackson has not played in five straight games, as he deals with an ongoing knee injury, and now there’s some confirmation of his status for the remainder of the Pistons’ schedule.

Jackson missed the first 21 games this season with left knee tendonitis, and he also received treatment for a right thumb issue at the same time in early October. He wound up playing in 52 games, starting 50, but along with fewer minutes (27.4 per game) came a drop-off in production (14.5 points, 5.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game). In 2015-16, his first full season with the Pistons, Jackson set career-highs in points (18.8) and assists per game (6.2).

Jackson was the subject of trade rumors heading into February’s deadline, but nothing came to fruition. His contract may have hurt any real effort to move him, with three years and just over $51 million left on the five-year, $80 million deal he signed with the Pistons in July of 2015.

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Van Gundy did leave the door slightly open for Jackson to suit up again this year, if an injury to Ish Smith or Beno Udrih necessitates it. But Jackson is surely willing to say goodbye to a disappointing, injury-riddled season with an eye on bouncing back fully healthy next year.