Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson finds himself fighting two different battles. His Oklahoma City team is without Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, meaning he's in charge of keeping things afloat. On the other hand, Jackson is playing for his first contract after his rookie deal expires.
Reggie Jackson’s Thunder teammates reportedly froze him out
Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson is fighting to be an NBA starter while Russell Westbrook remains out with an injury, but it’s coming with a cost.
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A Venn diagram of succeeding in both exists, but Jackson’s comments and actions haven’t made it clear that he’s willing to fall in that overlapping sweet spot.
At the end of last season, he opened up about his desire to start in the NBA, something that won't happen with the Thunder if Westbrook is healthy. Then against the Nets Monday, Jackson returned from injury but played selfishly enough to be frozen out by teammates Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins, according to The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry.
Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins grew frustrated with Jackson by the third quarter. Both big men began freezing out their point guard, refusing to pass him the ball to lead the break following defensive rebounds.
Perkins subtly admitted that he and Ibaka were purposely not passing the ball to Jackson, according to Mayberry.
“Just let the game come to you,” Perkins said about Jackson. “But with myself and with Serge, we got to do a better job with our body language and leadership skills, because I didn’t like the way I acted in the Brooklyn game as far as my body language toward Reggie. But we know Reggie means well. We support him. He’s one of my good friends off the court. So it’s no harm in that.”
Reggie Jackson
Scott Brooks also questioned his point guard's play against the Nets, as Jackson took 20 shots and turned the ball over seven times. Jackson accepted responsibility for not moving the ball and responded by putting up a career-high 14 assists on Tuesday against the Toronto Raptors.
The damage might have already been done when pairing Jackson's first performance of the year with some of his comments. Mayberry reports that Jackson recently answered a question by saying he was "just trying to play my role while I'm here." It sounds like his days with the Thunder are numbered. Now, Thunder fans are torn about whether they can even root for him or not.
Here's where Jackson can slide right in the heart of a Venn diagram between his goals and the team's goals: his play during November will be paramount while the Thunder battle to keep playoff hopes alive.
Oklahoma City needs Jackson to continue being aggressive while Westbrook and Durant heal. Jackson needs the Thunder to succeed during that span to reach his goal of becoming a starting NBA guard. To do that he’ll have to keep his coach, his teammates and Thunder fans happy.
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