The start to the NBA season for the Philadelphia 76ers has gone way off-tangent from expectations. Joel Embiid has yet to play this season while both Tyrese Maxey and Paul George have already missed — or will miss — significant time due to their respective injuries.
The 76ers are struggling mightily to showcase a competitive product. However, one of the primary question marks lingering to start the season is the playing status of Reggie Jackson. The 34-year-old veteran point guard has seen very limited action through the team’s first nine games.
Prior to Wednesday night’s matchup with the Clippers, Jackson had logged just 12 minutes. Against LA, Jackson was finally inserted into he game, but only with his team trailing by 19 points with 6:30 remaining in the 4th quarter.
While Kyle Lowry has seen significant minutes, Jackson has been a limited participant — an unfamiliar territory for a veteran who still has plenty left in the tank. After all, he saw minutes in all 82 regular season games for Denver last season and was a double-digit scorer.
What will it take for Reggie Jackson to earn meaningful minutes?
Philadelphia is 2-7 and Embiid is only just returning in their upcoming matchup against the Knicks. Clearly, what Nick Nurse and the 76ers are doing offensively and defensively is not working for the most part. It is time for a change, and it is time for Jackson to perhaps get a fair shot to prove what he can bring to this team.
With Tyrese Maxey now sidelined due to a hamstring injury, the 76ers need production from elsewhere in the rotation of guards they have. On Friday night against the Lakers, Jackson played just 11 minutes and shot 1-6 from the floor. Playing so sporadically has not fared well for him who played 22 minutes per game last season in Denver. The lack of minutes has seemingly led to him trying to do too much with the time that he is on the court.
Look for Jackson to get more minutes in the team’s upcoming matchups with Eastern Conference opponents. This week’s schedule includes matchups with the Hornets, Knicks, Cavaliers, and Magic — four teams that tout a strong backcourt.
Jared McCain has already shown that he can rise to the plate. It’s time for the 76ers to keep the same energy with their savvy veteran scoring guard and give him more burn.