Players-only meeting centered around Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson took the fewest shot attempts in a game since joining the Detroit Pistons directly after participating in the players only meeting. He also had a pretty crummy attitude when asked about it after the game. As it turns out, Jackson’s reaction to the meeting was warranted.
How would you feel if you lead your team in scoring and assists and in the process broke a seven-year postseason drought for your organization?
How about having to miss the first 20-plus games of the following season, returning to a .500 team that suddenly doesn’t like the way you play?
You’d probably feel pretty underappreciated–particularly after your teammates decided to hold a meeting to tell you how they don’t like the way you play.
Andre Drummond via Detroit Free Press:
“It felt like there was a lot of tension because we just added Reggie back so we kind of had to come to grasp the way that he plays,” Pistons center Andre Drummond said Monday at the United Center.
“It’s not going to be the same type of style that Ish plays, so we kind of had to put it out there that Reggie demands the ball more than Ish does. We have to get used to playing the same way we did last year.”
“At the end of the day, we’re all humans. We can’t be mad at each other for that,” Drummond said. “At the end of the day, we’re all basketball players and we all believe that we deserve to shoot a certain amount of shots, but we’re not always going to get those shots. The sooner we realize that, the better.
“For me, I went through a stretch where I wasn’t getting certain touches in the paint. It’s human nature to feel that way. You have to move on and try to put yourself in position to help your team win in a different way.”
Do you really blame Jackson for sulking after the players only meeting? I don’t.
In fact, if I were Jackson, I would be pretty angry.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again–I get that players like playing with Ish Smith. Smith passes the ball–a lot.
But the other players need to know their role. Reggie Jackson’s is to facilitate the offense, both for the team and himself and he’s dang good at it too.
Basketball is supposed to be fun, but at the NBA is a business and doing your job trumps all.
Know your role and do your job.
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