After much back-and-forth with Reggie Jackson‘s minutes throughout the last 15 games, Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy is shutting down his point guard at last, with the team virtually out of playoff contention.
“He won't play these last four,” Van Gundy told reporters after practice Thursday. “The plan is to let him step away, clear his mind and go into the offseason without a bad taste in his mouth.”
Van Gundy wouldn't rule out his point guard in case any injuries were to happen in the last four games of the season, but insisted the plan is to keep his point guard away from the toll of the regular season.
“Reggie was struggling, and for good reason — a lot of stuff out of his control,” Van Gundy said. “It was weighing on him, and we thought, at that time, being fresh-minded would not only be good for him, but us being fresh-minded would help.”
Backup point guard Ish Smith has replaced Jackson in the starting lineup and drew plenty of praise from Van Gundy for being a cog he can “really, really count on.” Smith had started the first 21 games of the season, keeping the team above the .500 mark before being replaced by Jackson.
The Boston College standout had an underwhelming season, failing to mesh with his teammates and going 3-9 since his initial return.
Entering Friday, the Pistons are on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs, sitting 3.5 games out of the No. 8 spot in the East and needing a miraculous three-team leapfrog to earn a second straight playoff appearance.
Detroit has lost 10 of their last 12 games since March 14, slipping from seventh in the East to 10th
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