Reggie Jackson – Mr. February?

Reggie Jackson and sure-fire All Star Andre Drummond have led Stan Van Gundy’s Pistons back into the playoff mix, but will Drummond’s running mate get the invitation to Toronto as well?

Andre Drummond has placed himself in elite company all season long, beginning with becoming only the third player in NBA history to post 20 points and 20 boards at least three times within a team’s first six games of the season. He joined Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, two of the greatest big men in the history of the sport. He’s already ahead of Moses Malone in career rebounding average at 12.3 per game, good for 15^th best of all time, and if his recent trends continue, there’s no question he could approach 14 per game, which would place him at 6^th best. This season, he’s increased his level to an All-NBA level, averaging career highs in points (17.8), rebounds (15.3 – yes, seriously), assists (0.8), and steals (1.8). There’s no question that he’s at or near the top of the league when it comes to the conversation of best center in the NBA. But perhaps bigger than that is how effective he has become without Greg Monroe in the post to clog up the lane.

Stan Van Gundy was signed in the Doc Rivers role (Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations) to take this team back to the playoffs and build a roster to fit his system. Having a big surrounded by athletic wings, a ball-dominant point guard, and three-point shooting with successful defense is exactly what he wanted to establish. It’s what helped him lead Orlando to the playoffs consistently, and it’s a formula that is starting to take shape and work in the Motor City.

After jettisoning Monroe, Drummond was free to become what Dwight Howard was in Orlando. Caron Butler and Shawne Williams were flipped for deep-threat Ersan Ilyasova, who has complemented Drummond’s style of play well. Drafting Johnson and re-signing Reggie Jackson to a long-term deal helped build the foundation even more. With seven players shooting over 31 percent from three (while attempting at least two per game), Van Gundy has secured his three-point shooters (although the team sits at 21^st in three-point percentage as of 1/16, so efficiency could improve). But perhaps the biggest key in the offense, and possibly the biggest upcoming snub in the All-Star Game, is Reggie Jackson.

Jackson is also playing at a career level currently, with highs in points (19.5), assists (6.6), and three-point percentage (35.4). He’s top 10 in each of these categories on the season among qualified point guards. Because of this, there has been talks of Reggie Jackson making an All-Star game, but will it happen? No, but not because he doesn’t deserve it.

The third return of votes from the All-Star ballot was released on January 14^th, and as it stands, Reggie Jackson currently sits at 10^th in the voting of East Guards, behind the likes of Derrick Rose and Jeremy Lin, two players whose names precede them much more than that of Reggie Jackson, whose Wikipedia entry is listed as “Reggie Jackson (basketball, born 1990)” thanks to Mr. October. Jackson has been playing at an elite clutch level for a point guard, coming in at first in the league among starting guards (barely ahead of Steph Curry) in the last five minutes of games with a differential of five or less points at 5.6 points per game. He’s also tied for first with 0.9 assists with Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, and Tyreke Evans. The Pistons were a very solid 12-8 in those situations, proving how valuable he’s been over the course of the season in close games.

Unfortunately for Jackson and the Pistons, the All-Star vote is barely more than a popularity contest, so it’s unlikely that he’ll make it. On the bright side, Drummond is almost a dead lock for the exhibition game. Regardless of the accolades, these two young guns have the Pistons playing at the best level they’ve played at since Ben Wallace was still blocking shots for them. Oh, and they just beat the best team in the league by 18 (113-95) last night. What a show for the Motor City.