Reggie Jackson has never been a player lacking in confidence. Throughout his career, he’s always been the guy with a brazen assurance that can defy the odds.
He’s now found a team in the Los Angeles Clippers that not only trusts him but also needs him to carry that flag of self-belief. The epitome of that marriage between a player and team has never been more evident in the Clippers’ 2021 playoff run.
"They’ve empowered me. Honestly, this team has empowered me. This organization has empowered me since the time I’ve been here,” Jackson said after scoring 23 points in the Clippers’ Game 3 victory on Friday.
The Clippers found themselves in familiar territory after losing the first two games against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference finals. Just like in the first two rounds of the playoffs, they were down 0-2 after falling victim to a heartbreaking alley-oop game-winner from Deandre Ayton.
But similar to their first two series, they found a way to come out strong in a virtually must-win Game 3.
"This team is resilient. We always believe. We never give in. We never say die. We never really have doubt,” said Jackson. "We continue to just chip away, try to chip away, try to figure out ways to be better, try to impose our will on our opponents."
Game 3 was one of those statement “we’re-back-in-it” wins that signified that the Clippers have the Suns where they want them. Paul George and his 27-point, 15-rebound, 8-assist performance provided the star power.
Jackson, meanwhile, provided the finishing kick. He had 10 points in the fourth quarter, including two crucial 3s. The Suns made a huge rally that cut the deficit to just six points, but Jackson responded with five straight points to restore order for the Clippers.
"This team is just hungry, just always hungry to get better,” he said. "You don’t know what the results are ever gonna be but I love the approach, I love the way we come out and we continue to fight, I love the way we continue to find ways to get it done collectively. We’ve been fortunate enough to make it this far.”
During Jackson’s time with his previous teams — Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons — there were flashes of his potential. They were simmering, but not fully in the open. Everything came together for him and the Clippers this season, particularly in the playoffs.
“When we first signed Reggie, our coaching staff, we talked about him potentially being a starter because of how we wanted to play — getting PG (Paul George) and Kawhi (Leonard), putting the ball in their spots. ” coach Tyronn Lue recalled. "Unfortunately Pat Beverley got hurt a few times this season and Reggie became a starter. He did a great job. Our numbers with him as a starter were off the charts."
With a decade of NBA experience under his belt, Jackson has come to his own providing quality minutes to a championship contender. His value is felt tenfold especially now with Leonard sidelined.
Versus the Suns, Jackson is the team’s second-leading scorer after George with averages of 22.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, while shooting 51 percent from the field and knocking down three triples per game. He has to be on George’s level for the Clippers to go toe-to-toe with the Suns.
“The more I just continue to be myself, the more this team [is] empowering me to be myself. I’ve been able to find success, fortunately,” Jackson said.
If you’re the Clippers, that’s what you want from your starting guard. You want him to be aggressive and look for cracks in the Suns’ defense. Whether it be shooting or whipping a pass to an open man, he needs to be engaged in order for the Clippers to be at their best.
Jackson is not a traditional point guard in the sense that he will be a driving force that can unravel defenses. He won’t beat you with athleticism or quickness. What he does have is a ton of firepower. He can crush opponents with his timely shot-making just like he did in Game 3.
“Hats off to them,” Jackson said about his team. “I definitely try to put in a lot of work throughout my career and be ready for those moments but I’ve been working on my mind trying to figure out how to be mentally strong. But you know you’re only great as your team. As your team wants you to be, and they empower you to do so. Like I said, hats off to them.”
The word “resilient” has been used a lot to describe these Clippers, especially with how they came back in the last two series after being down 0-2. However, it also takes a huge amount of confidence to be resilient. For Jackson and the Clippers, it’s their shared confidence, as well as their combined trust with each other that’s produced a winning formula.
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