Nuggets’ Reggie Jackson is ready to ‘steady the ship’ off the bench next season
For Reggie Jackson, it seems like he’s just started.
An All-ACC career at Boston College. Being a 2011 first-round draft pick and going to an Oklahoma City Thunderteam that competed for championships. Making big money and being a main offensive cog with the Detroit Pistons. Relishing the role of playoff hero with the Los Angeles Clippers. And actually winning a championship with the Denver Nuggets.
Over a decade? No way that much time has passed. No way that a basketball career where he was Colorado’s state high school basketball player of the year in Colorado Springs in 2008 now has more days behind it than in front of it.
But, if anything, Jackson embraces how fleeting it can all be and how fast it can all go. He considers himself blessed to last this long in the NBA. He’s no longer the fresh-faced kid, no longer the one seeking veteran mentorship. He’s the veteran now, thrust into an important role this upcoming season with the world-champion Nuggets. If winning it all with his home state team seems surreal to Jackson — well, it is. But, where Jackson was simply on the ship last season, coming over in the trade that sent Bones Hyland to the Clippers, he has to help direct and steer the ship this time around.
“This is a big season for me and for us in general,” Jackson told The Athletic. “The understanding that we have to go into the season with is that we have a mark on our backs collectively as a team. But, also, I have to do my part and do everything I can to try and make us as successful as possible.”
Jackson’s presence last season in the locker room was welcomed. He was a breath of fresh air for the Nuggets. He did what was asked of him. He also wasn’t in head coach Michael Malone’s playing rotation. That projects to change this season. There is no Bruce Brown, whom Denver lost to the Indiana Pacersfor a contract Brown simply couldn’t say no to. There is no Jeff Green, the versatile forward who played big and important minutes off Malone’s bench. He signed with the Houston Rocketsin free agency.
That leaves two substantial holes in the rotation for the Nuggets this coming season. The beauty of Brown was that he was a big wing who was able to not only exist but thrive in backup-point-guard minutes. That allowed Malone to use him as a Swiss Army knife off the bench. Jackson isn’t Brown. He’s not as versatile, not as good defensively, and he doesn’t provide the rim pressure Brown was able to consistently get off the dribble.
But, Jackson can score. He has always been offensively gifted. He has always been able to live in the paint off the bounce, and he’s always been able to stretch defenses from the perimeter. If he is indeed Jamal Murray’s primary backup, he takes on an important task. Brown was able to keep Murray fresh and even alleviate his responsibility in key spots. Jackson is big enough to play both guard spots, and was even a shooting guard early on in his career. The two have enough collective size and skill to play together.
Most importantly, Denver’s second unit projects to be young — super young. We’re talking second-year forward Christian Braun, second-year forward Peyton Watson. And we may very well be talking about a rookie, especially with Vlatko Čančarout indefinitely with a torn ACL. Jackson is going to be counted on to provide some needed leadership off the bench. The starters? They are fine. Denver’s lineup is one of the best, deepest, most-skilled and most balanced in basketball. But, without Brown and Green, the bench comes with question marks.
Will Jackson be able to help answer some of those questions?
“Obviously the departure of Bruce and Jeff is tough because they did so much for the team,” Jackson said. “They were great locker room guys, and they were obviously great for us on the court. That type of leadership isn’t easy to replace. In my opinion, we have one of the best starting fives in the league.
“My job is going to be to come in and try and steady the ship as much as I can when I’m in the game. I think the young guys are going to be very fun to play with. There is a lot of talent in that locker room. As a second unit, we have to make sure that we are able to keep things rolling.”
With a little over a month to go before training camp, Jackson’s days are spent in the gym, working on his shot, working to prepare for the grind ahead. His days are also spent in the weight room. He’s the owner of a new contract, a sure sign of confidence in him from the Nuggets’ front office. He takes nothing for granted now, especially at 33 years old, more than a decade into his NBA career. A few years ago, Jackson was a playoff monster for the Clippers and had a big hand in the franchise reaching its first-ever Western Conference Finals. And then, after a trade, he found himself out of a playoff rotation.
It’s to Jackson’s credit how he handled it. He never pouted. He simply controlled what he could. He kept a smile on his face. He helped the locker room. But, make no mistake, this is a chance for him individually to show that he’s still a rotation-level player on a great team. So, for as much as he could be important to the Nuggets as a team, this season is important to him personally.
“It doesn’t feel like year whatever,” Jackson said. “It really feels like year six or seven. I thought we were going to win a lot of championships in OKC. It’s all been such a blur. It’s just a realization to how fast life moves. I think that’s been my biggest takeaway getting older. The days just kind of fly by, so you have to do your best to make them count.”
Nuggets’ Reggie Jackson is ready to ‘steady the ship’ off the bench next season
For Reggie Jackson, it seems like he’s just started.
An All-ACC career at Boston College. Being a 2011 first-round draft pick and going to an Oklahoma City Thunderteam that competed for championships. Making big money and being a main offensive cog with the Detroit Pistons. Relishing the role of playoff hero with the Los Angeles Clippers. And actually winning a championship with the Denver Nuggets.
Over a decade? No way that much time has passed. No way that a basketball career where he was Colorado’s state high school basketball player of the year in Colorado Springs in 2008 now has more days behind it than in front of it.
But, if anything, Jackson embraces how fleeting it can all be and how fast it can all go. He considers himself blessed to last this long in the NBA. He’s no longer the fresh-faced kid, no longer the one seeking veteran mentorship. He’s the veteran now, thrust into an important role this upcoming season with the world-champion Nuggets. If winning it all with his home state team seems surreal to Jackson — well, it is. But, where Jackson was simply on the ship last season, coming over in the trade that sent Bones Hyland to the Clippers, he has to help direct and steer the ship this time around.
“This is a big season for me and for us in general,” Jackson told The Athletic. “The understanding that we have to go into the season with is that we have a mark on our backs collectively as a team. But, also, I have to do my part and do everything I can to try and make us as successful as possible.”
Jackson’s presence last season in the locker room was welcomed. He was a breath of fresh air for the Nuggets. He did what was asked of him. He also wasn’t in head coach Michael Malone’s playing rotation. That projects to change this season. There is no Bruce Brown, whom Denver lost to the Indiana Pacersfor a contract Brown simply couldn’t say no to. There is no Jeff Green, the versatile forward who played big and important minutes off Malone’s bench. He signed with the Houston Rocketsin free agency.
That leaves two substantial holes in the rotation for the Nuggets this coming season. The beauty of Brown was that he was a big wing who was able to not only exist but thrive in backup-point-guard minutes. That allowed Malone to use him as a Swiss Army knife off the bench. Jackson isn’t Brown. He’s not as versatile, not as good defensively, and he doesn’t provide the rim pressure Brown was able to consistently get off the dribble.
But, Jackson can score. He has always been offensively gifted. He has always been able to live in the paint off the bounce, and he’s always been able to stretch defenses from the perimeter. If he is indeed Jamal Murray’s primary backup, he takes on an important task. Brown was able to keep Murray fresh and even alleviate his responsibility in key spots. Jackson is big enough to play both guard spots, and was even a shooting guard early on in his career. The two have enough collective size and skill to play together.
Most importantly, Denver’s second unit projects to be young — super young. We’re talking second-year forward Christian Braun, second-year forward Peyton Watson. And we may very well be talking about a rookie, especially with Vlatko Čančarout indefinitely with a torn ACL. Jackson is going to be counted on to provide some needed leadership off the bench. The starters? They are fine. Denver’s lineup is one of the best, deepest, most-skilled and most balanced in basketball. But, without Brown and Green, the bench comes with question marks.
Will Jackson be able to help answer some of those questions?
“Obviously the departure of Bruce and Jeff is tough because they did so much for the team,” Jackson said. “They were great locker room guys, and they were obviously great for us on the court. That type of leadership isn’t easy to replace. In my opinion, we have one of the best starting fives in the league.
“My job is going to be to come in and try and steady the ship as much as I can when I’m in the game. I think the young guys are going to be very fun to play with. There is a lot of talent in that locker room. As a second unit, we have to make sure that we are able to keep things rolling.”
With a little over a month to go before training camp, Jackson’s days are spent in the gym, working on his shot, working to prepare for the grind ahead. His days are also spent in the weight room. He’s the owner of a new contract, a sure sign of confidence in him from the Nuggets’ front office. He takes nothing for granted now, especially at 33 years old, more than a decade into his NBA career. A few years ago, Jackson was a playoff monster for the Clippers and had a big hand in the franchise reaching its first-ever Western Conference Finals. And then, after a trade, he found himself out of a playoff rotation.
It’s to Jackson’s credit how he handled it. He never pouted. He simply controlled what he could. He kept a smile on his face. He helped the locker room. But, make no mistake, this is a chance for him individually to show that he’s still a rotation-level player on a great team. So, for as much as he could be important to the Nuggets as a team, this season is important to him personally.
“It doesn’t feel like year whatever,” Jackson said. “It really feels like year six or seven. I thought we were going to win a lot of championships in OKC. It’s all been such a blur. It’s just a realization to how fast life moves. I think that’s been my biggest takeaway getting older. The days just kind of fly by, so you have to do your best to make them count.”
