Reggie Jackson had a frustrating 16-17 season in which he could never fully get back from the platelet-rich plasma treatment he underwent for his left knee tendinosis.

“Just felt a little different. There were plays I know I made in ’15 and ’16 and gaps that I could hit and had the confidence to get there at all times,” he said after Tuesday’s loss at the buzzer to Miami gravely wounded his team’s playoff chances. “And this season, at times felt good and I could get there, other times felt like I was a shell of myself.”

“He was absolutely dominant,” Van Gundy said. “He had a great summer.”

The Pistons were 11-10 without Jackson before his early-December return.

“I could see the gap and felt like I couldn’t get there at times, couldn’t explode there, couldn’t get there as quick,” Jackson said. “It was like guys are popping out of nowhere when they get back in front of the ball and get in front of me. Didn’t feel like I was quite the same.”

Jackson is hopeful of a silver lining in what has been a lost season.

“It’s tough, but I also think it’s going to be good in the long run, force me to have to play a little different, force me to have to expand my game,” he said. “I haven’t been great this season by the way that I measure myself, but without pain there wouldn’t be joy. I truly believe there’s light at the end of the tunnel and I see it with everything I’ve gone through so far. This season will all be worth it and will make everything that much more joyful.”