National Basketball Association

Playing With Fire

Updated Feb. 19, 2020 6:24 p.m. ET

What do you get when you take a guy who has started 266 of his last 272 NBA games and put him on the bench?

We don't know, but we're fixin' ta find out.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that the Los Angeles Clippers plan to sign veteran guard Reggie Jackson after he was bought out by the Detroit Pistons the same day.

With the signing, the Clippers have further bolstered an already bolstered roster, as they look to edge out the Lakers for Los Angeles supremacy, and, book their first-ever trip to the NBA Finals.

LAC has a lot of talent, but is there such a thing as too much talent?

If there is such a thing, this is it.

And now, it looks like a Clippers franchise that is balancing load management, its rivalry with the Lakers, and the pressure of winning its first NBA title, is also going to be balancing egos and playing time more than ever before.

Jackson isn't used to just "fitting in." Years ago, he looked for his exit out of Oklahoma City to avoid playing behind Russell Westbrook.

Granted, that was in 2014, but that was also Russell Westbrook.

If Jackson wasn't comfortable sitting behind one of the greatest guards in NBA history, is he going to be okay sitting behind Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams and potentially Landry Shamet?

Is he comfortable potentially serving in an insurance role for a team that has been creating cohesion for 55 games?

That is a big ask for a 29-year old point guard who has averaged 28 minutes per game over the past five seasons in Detroit.

14.9 PPG

Reggie Jackson's scoring average this season – while shooting 38% from three – along with 5.1 APG

In addition, Jackson will be the ninth player in the Clippers' rotation this year that will have played less than 82 games with the team.

In short, this is a new team. And adding a "veteran" guard with 27 games left in the season has potential to make things go awry, especially after adding Marcus Morris Sr. just two weeks ago.

If Jackson is able to play a role, and Beverley, Shamet and Williams are willing to share their minutes, this move is certainly an upgrade for LAC.

And it makes it even tougher for the Lakers to overcome their in-town rivals.

But, it's also heaped more pressure onto the shoulders of Kawhi and the Clippers franchise to win.

They can't say they don't have the talent.

But as we all know, talent doesn't always win titles.