Stephen Jackson and the Spurs
This crazy lockout season just got a little crazier for the San Antonio Spurs, who yesterday brought back long ago Spurs player Stephen Jackson. And I say crazy with equal parts optimism, respect, and trepidation.
Stephen Jackson has spent the year somewhat buried on the Milwaukee Bucks bench, so there are questions about what he has left in terms of basketball production. But reports are the Spurs have kept an eye on him since his departure, and it doesn’t hurt that Jackson had his best game of the season in what proved to be an unofficial workout against new teammate Kawhi Leonard.
While the fuel left in the tank remains questionable, Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford made this deal knowing exactly what they were getting into. Captain Jack is highly combustible, which can work both ways for a team.
Jackson has always played with his heart on his sleeve, and even in the best of times his temperament and game are streaky at best.
Understand that this is a risk for the San Antonio Spurs. For all that Richard Jefferson was not, he has been a better than capable three-point shooter and average defensive player who had spent some time in this system. Jackson is 33 and has seen both areas of production slip in recent years.
But unlike the trade that brought Richard Jefferson, this risk falls more in line with the ones we are used to seeing the Spurs take because it is one that has a quick out should it not work. The commitment to Jackson is short should his fuse prove to be.
In a worst case scenario in which Jackson bombs, the Spurs still should be better off if only because it frees more minutes for rookie Kawhi Leonard.
Comparatively, both Richard Jefferson and Stephen Jackson have lost a step and explosiveness. Defensively both have slipped. A shooting guard in his previous stint with the team, Jackson is now almost exclusively a small forward with extended time as a power forward in small lineups stretching his limits.
Still, Jackson has a much more varied skill set and is far more self-sufficient on the basketball court.
Where Richard Jefferson depended on others for his offense, creating shots has never been a problem for Jackson. Hitting those shots at an efficient clip can sometimes pose a problem, but Jackson offsets that some by getting to the free throw line and creating shots for his teammates.
The hope for the Spurs is that removed from being the focal point of an offense, Jackson can pick his spots better. And now that he is no longer the focal point of opposing defenses, he should find more space and better matchups to better get his high dribble through the lane.
And finally there is the unquantifiable value. The Spurs have long since moved on from Stephen Jackson. The team is even far removed from the one that made the initial Richard Jefferson trade. That team was in desperate need of Jackson’s grasp of the big moment and shot creating abilities.
Beyond Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili they have a handful of players capable of making plays. Gary Neal has certainly proved his worth in the clutch in the opportunities he has been given. And those that think the Spurs need an edge have not taken a close look at Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan.
But the Spurs still have nothing like Jackson. They have toughness, they have competitiveness, they have clutch. But they have no one who wears and embraces it so openly, who simply can’t bottle anything up. Perhaps the biggest contrast between Jefferson and Jackson is that Jackson is a participant.
Where Jefferson was once described as the last person on top of a pile, Jackson is always in the middle of it. Good or bad, he’ll find a way to leave his impact on a situation. This may or may not be a move that puts the Spurs over the top, and it likely isn’t, but it’s one that makes this season a lot more interesting.
Related posts:
