The Sixers bolstered their point guard rotation on Tuesday morning, reportedly agreeing to a deal with 13-year NBA veteran Reggie Jackson. Jackson figures to slot in as the team's third-string point guard behind Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry, giving the Sixers some depth in terms of ball-handling, scoring and shot creation.
Jackson, 34, is not the player he once was. But he played 82 games for the Denver Nuggets in 2023-24, backing up star point guard Jamal Murray. Once the playoffs began, though, Jackson's productivity and playing time declined rapidly. So, what can Jackson actually give the Sixers at this stage of his career, and what are his shortcomings?
Deep-dives into Jackson's numbers and film paint a fairly realistic picture of what he is and is not capable of at this juncture, and how it all translates to what the Sixers are trying to do.
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Statistical / Athletic Profile
Jackson averaged 22.2 minutes, 10.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for the Nuggets last season, shooting 43.1 percent from the field, 35.9 percent from three-point range (3.5 three-point attempts per game) and 80.6 percent on free throws (1.2 attempts per game), good for a 52.1 true shooting percentage.
Currently listed at 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds, Jackson came into the NBA sporting a ridiculous 7-foot wingspan that is nearly unmatched among like-sized guards. One would imagine that would fuel strong defensive production, but Jackson's steal and block rates in the NBA have largely been unconvincing.
Jackson is a career 34.5 percent three-point shooter on decent volume (3.5 long-range tries per game) and has made 85.4 percent of his free throws in the NBA. His assist numbers (career 6.0 assists per 36 minutes) are somewhat underwhelming for a primary ball-handling point guard, and his turnover numbers have typically been higher than preferred.
At his best, Jackson has been someone capable of posting efficiency numbers that are slightly below average on a difficult shot diet.
Spot-up shooting
One could argue that even for a point guard who will typically operate with the ball in their hands, the single most important skill to have while playing alongside Joel Embiid is spot-up three-point shooting. Embiid draws double-teams practically every time he touches the ball near the basket and has the focus of 10 eyes at all times over the course of a 24-second possession. Embiid's gravity constantly generates catch-and-shoot looks from beyond the arc for his teammates.
Jackson's shot mechanics are clean -- perhaps even aesthetically pleasing -- and he can get it off quickly and comfortably over contests from recovering defenders:
According to NBA.com's tracking data, Jackson shot 40.1 percent (65-162) on catch-and-shoot triples last season and 37.6 percent on those attempts (74-197) the year prior.
Scoring
Jackson has never been a player who consistently posts strong efficiency numbers, and it is almost by design: Jackson has always had a propensity to take difficult shots, and it is not simply the product of poor decision-making or shot selection. Each team has players who are designated for end-of-shot-clock situations; players who are capable of generating a shot on their own within a few seconds of action, even if it is not a high-quality attempt.
In watching the vast majority of Jackson's field goal attempts from last season, it was jarring how many of his shots came at the end of the shot clock. According to NBA.com, nearly one out of every five shot attempts Jackson registered last year came with seven seconds or fewer remaining on the shot clock.
The reason Jackson was put into that role is that he is a crafty enough ball-handler and scorer that he is capable of making plays like this as the clock dwindles:
But that role also translates to plenty of difficult shot attempts, like this one:
When Jackson shares the floor with Embiid, he will typically be orchestrating an offense operating at a slow pace. But Jackson might be at his best in transition, where he is able to loosen up and use his creativity and length to capitalize on chaos.
Jackson's strong preference appears to be operating out of pick-and-roll as much as possible, but he will occasionally isolate on the perimeter. He is not someone the Sixers will want doing so more than once or twice in a game, but he does have the quickness and chops to make defenses pay if they switch a big onto him on the perimeter. His length, which enables him to go up toward the rim from farther away than some, also comes in handy here:
Shot selection
This is likely the aspect of Jackson's game that will determine whether he can become a rotation regular or a situational ball-handler for the Sixers. Far too often on film, Jackson makes imprudent choices with which shots he takes. In a Sixers offense featuring three All-Stars with three-level scoring ability, shots like these will not fly:
Jackson is extremely reliant on his floater when he advances inside the free throw line. He is comfortable taking it from any angle, moving at any direction and with either hand.
Any player having a specific shot they are most comfortable getting to and taking is never a bad thing, unless they begin to force the issue and forget that they have other options. That is an issue Jackson appears to run into on occasion.
Jackson is, by nature, a risk-taker when it comes to shot selection -- and his ability to convert on some tough attempts is part of his value as a player. The Sixers should not dissuade him from playing his game, but they should try to put an emphasis on taking the right risks.
Passing
Jackson's passing numbers do not indicate any sort of special ability in that department, and neither does his film. He is certainly not a bad playmaker, but he is much better at generating a shot for himself than he is for one of his teammates.
One style of assist that jumped out a few times was a drop-off assist, where Jackson draws multiple defenders as he heads toward the rim and fits a pass in a tight window to a nearby teammate for an easy shot around the basket. The opposing defense has a brief miscommunication on its coverage here, and Jackson instantly makes them pay by creating at advantage, drawing a second defender and dropping off to a cutter for a simple bucket:
The beauty of finding players to team with Embiid -- as well as Maxey and Paul George, for that matter -- is that their role can be simplified quite a bit. Jackson's experience working with Nikola Jokić in Denver will give him a strong head start when it comes to establishing a two-man game with Embiid. This extremely simple read and pass is often all Embiid needs from a guard to torment opposing defenses. Come off the screen, make a bounce pass in the pocket and let the big man do the rest of the work:
Jackson is not and never will be a high-level passer, and therein lies the beauty of having three high-powered stars: the Sixers can get away with their third-string point guard just being competent in that department.
Defense
For someone with a 7-foot wingspan at the point guard position, Jackson's defensive production over the course of his NBA career has been disappointing. He has not averaged at least two steals per 100 possessions since his rookie season -- not only has his unique frame not led to outlier steal rates, but he has consistently posted below-average numbers in that department despite his physical tools.
But every now and then, you see glimpses of why he should be a menace on that end of the floor in certain situations. When Jackson applies considerable presser to the ball-handler he is defending, he puts himself in good position to jump passing lanes and force turnovers or get deflections:
When Jackson remains disciplined, he is able to present strong contests on three-point shooters. His length gives him some margin for error in terms of positioning and court awareness, as he is able to make up more ground than the average point guard in such a situation:
But far too often, plays like this jump out: Jackson is targeted by an opposing offense, and a ball-handler either beats him to a spot or simply overpowers him.
In the aggregate, Jackson is your typical reserve guard defender: his impact is underwhelming and he is, in a general sense, below average. What is atypical about Jackson is his ability to create opportunities to make outlier plays on that end of the floor, stemming from that 7-foot wingspan.
Conclusion
Jackson is probably not someone who a contending team should rely on as a nightly part of their rotation, and he may have been overtasked in his role with Denver last year.
But on a veteran's minimum contract, as a third-string point guard behind a young All-Star in Maxey who is a strong bet to lead the team in minutes and a proven veteran in Lowry who will likely be one of the team's highest-usage reserves, the Sixers could have done a lot worse than Jackson.
His optimal role is not that of someone who is relied upon on a consistent basis, but someone who fills in when a perimeter player is injured or the team needs some additional ball-handling or scoring juice. He is a change-of-pace type of player at this stage of his career, and that is a perfectly acceptable piece for the Sixers to add with one of their few remaining roster spots.
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