All Reggie Jackson clamored for last season was to start for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He filled in admirably for the Thunder when Russell Westbrook went down at the start of the 13-14 season and provided ample amounts of production off the bench. However, surpassing Westbrook on the depth chart was never going to happen and Jackson wasn’t operating as an off-ball guard offensively.

Jackson forced general manager Sam Presti’s hand and was traded to a team that could start him initially-as a point guard-at the 2015 trade deadline. Jackson received the opportunity he’d hoped would eventually arrive and has been nothing short of excellent in the position. 

Turning down a four-year, $48 million extension from the Thunder to eventually sign a five-year, $80 million deal with the Pistons was a perfect example of the benefits of betting on yourself. Similar to James Harden leaving the Thunder for the Houston Rockets, Jackson has made the most of his chance to run his own team after a slow burn to stardom.

Brandon Jennings’ injury led to the trade and the starting gig for Jackson, but the latter’s talent level arguably exceeded Jennings’. With a swagger ideal for the starting role and the confidence to shake off cataclysmic offensive outings, Jackson is tailor-made for the starting point guard role. The Boston College product also has the numbers to back up the infectious body language he displays on the court. 

Jackson is one of 10 NBA players to average at least 19.0 PPG and 6.0 APG on the season, highlighting his productive output for the Pistons. Jackson had to be featured heavily this season in the offense game plan, with a Pistons roster thought to be devoid of legitimate offensive weapons outside of center Andre Drummond.

Greg Monroe headed west to Milwaukee in the offseason and Jennings only returned from his injury in January before being traded in February. Jackson, however, continues to operate in the realm of his role similar to last season.

Jackson is the creative point guard, rather than the notoriously toxic volume shooter. This stems from the Tobias Harris addition and the emergence of both Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Stanley Johnson, but also Van Gundy’s tutelage of Jackson.

Van Gundy had one lead point guard for the majority of his head coaching career. Jameer Nelson could have been a ball dominant point guard, reminiscent of his exceptional career in college at Saint Joseph’s, but the productive head coach used the diminutive guard similar to Jackson’s role.

Van Gundy didn’t pigeonhole Nelson into becoming a convoluted talent who dished the ball an excessive amount for a competent shooter. Nelson was most effective taking more shots for the Magic than assuming the role as a facilitating-first guard in his best statistical season. You can correlate the aforementioned notion to Nelson playing in his prime, as the point guard averaged a career-high 16.7 PPG and shot 50.3 percent from the floor during the 2008-09 season. In comparison, Jackson’s nearing the same part of his career as well and has shown the ability to have an efficient blend of facilitating and scoring capabilities. At 25 years old, Jackson’s had a profound impact on the offense.

One of the primary roles of the point guard is to make your respective team flourish on offense. Jackson evidently makes the Pistons run smoother when on the floor.

Detroit has a plus-8.2 ORtg (Offensive Rating) when Jackson is flashing his No. 1 jersey draped in red, white and blue on the hardwood. It’s also worth noting that Detroit shoots more efficiently, 45.4 percent compared to 41.4 percent, when Jackson’s on the court. Credit that to the Pistons’ backup point guard options, but it highlights Jackson’s vitality on the team. He’s the spark from the point guard position that Detroit’s arguably lacked since Chauncey Billups was splashing triples nearly a decade ago.

Jackson has had a positive impact on another important guard in the backcourt as well. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit’s first-round pick in 2013, struggled to acclimate himself to the pro level as a scorer in college.

With Jackson manning the point, Caldwell-Pope has shown growth as a shooter in his third year in the association. Caldwell Pope’s numbers near the basket might not be as glamorous, but in his wheelhouse, Jackson is certainly making life a lot easier for the 23-year-old two-guard.

On his mid-range attempts, Caldwell-Pope is shooting a solid 45.1 percent, compared to 40.4 percent when Jackson’s sitting. Jackson has a similar effect on the scoring area that’ll fuel Caldwell-Pope’s NBA longevity. From 20-24 feet, Caldwell-Pope is shooting 35.7 percent, an uptick in efficiency with Jackson on floor compared to when he is absent (30.8 percent).

With Jackson’s proficient vision and ability to create off the dribble, Caldwell-Pope has to consistently make efficient looks like the one shown here.

Jackson isn’t a John Stockton or Rajon Rondo, point guards who are revered for their ability to amplify their teammates effectiveness. He’s just making an impact on a player who could be vital toward a playoff run either this year or in the future. 

As a distributor, Jackson has a distinct advantage over his teammates-as the rest of the starting lineup consists of primarily scorers. Jackson sets up his teammates to the tune of 6.2 APG and creates 14.8 PPG off of his assists, per NBAstats.com. Jackson’s 11th in the NBA in the aforementioned category, among current starting point guards, only adding to his label as a versatile lead guard. He also has a turnover percentage that’s matched his career-low, posted in the 2012-13 season (13.1 percent). 

For Jackson, however, the adept vision, handles and passing effectiveness complements his ability to score from an abundance of areas on the floor. At 34-32, the driving force behind the Pistons’ surge to a playoff berth is Jackson continuing his heightened scoring output, from previous seasons, until game 82.

It is a necessity to be a scoring point guard in a league filled with stars manning the 1. Those who lack scoring volume and are lauded more for their physical traits and possible two-way ability they might never hit in their prime (Michael Carter-Williams, Elfrid Payton, Emmanuel Mudiay) make it difficult for teams to compete with them. 

That’s why Jackson showing progressive improvement offensively from his rookie season to his fifth year in the league only can be viewed as a positive for Detroit. He has a strong feel for the game and is comfortable taking shots from various areas on the court. 

Against Portland last week, when he went off for 30 points and nine assists, Jackson attempted the seldom-used floater and converted against the 7-foot Meyers Leonard.

The shot may just be worth two points, but it illustrates Jackson’s ability to finish over height, which many 6’3” guards fail to do, and shows that he has touch on his release in the painted area. In addition, only three other point guards (Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, Isaiah Thomas) shoot at a higher clip (50.3 percent) on 7.3 or more attempts from less than 10 feet, per NBAstats.com.

For someone shooting 36.8 percent from deep, Jackson might have to attack the basket more if his shot isn’t falling-as the season starts to dissipate. The lack of three-point efficiency and a questionable shot selection-at times-are hindrances to Jackson’s ceiling as an offensive weapon. 

With shooters that take aim from the perimeter in Caldwell-Pope, Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris, Jackson could have more opportunities to benefit the team outside of hoisting triples. Van Gundy likes to run 4-out offensive sets, with only Drummond manning the paint.

Jackson utilizes the pick and roll heavily when setting up the offense in the aforementioned set and with two big men in the paint. With the matchup problems it causes the defense, ball screens are commonly centered on exploiting defensive confusion and mismatches. He’s taken 599 shot attempts as the ball handler in the pick and roll, which is the most in the NBA. 

It’s not a knock on Jackson to create for himself with the ball, but more of utilizing a positive half-court play type to generate offense. This recent game-winner against Dallas illustrates the necessary space Jackson needed from the Aron Baynes screen to get off the dagger.

Jackson has created gobs of space to work with, from his basketball IQ and play calling, as a floor general and a scorer. He’s amplified his offensive ability each season and has the complementary core to limit regression in the upcoming seasons.

While plenty of other point guards have soaked in the national spotlight, Jackson is one of the position’s non-prominently featured lead guards. He’s had to work diligently and progress to become a hyper-productive contributor at the position. With Detroit entering the fold as a playoff contender in the East, Jackson will eventually get more recognition as a budding star at the point guard position.