Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson will reportedly miss the next 6-8 weeks after spraining his ankle on Tuesday night. 

The Vertical’s Shams Charania reported the news about Reggie Jackson. He stated that the 27-year-old suffered a Grade 3 sprain on his right ankle and will get re-evaluated in six-to-eight weeks. Jackson played 21 minutes against the Indiana Pacers before departing. He recorded eight points and 13 assists.

For the year, Jackson’s averaging 14.6 points and 5.5 assists a game for a Pistons squad that’s 19-14 overall. They’ve cooled off considerably after their blistering start, but a recent stretch of five wins and one loss has kept them in the four seed.

Jackson’s injury is a crushing one. He’s been a reliable floor general for the Pistons and has been a consistent option for them when the offense has gone stagnant. Detroit has been without Avery Bradley for the last five games, and his return is still up in the air. Without Jackson, their backcourt depth shrinks even more.

Langston Galloway and Ish Smith will fight to determine the starting point guard for the next month-and-a-half. Luke Kennard, the rookie from Duke, will also see a minutes spike. Regardless, both Smith and Galloway will have to produce no matter where their minutes come. Outside of those three, Stan Van Gundy is going to lean on Tobias Harris and Andre Drummond even more. (Hopefully, Stanley Johnson can find his shooting touch.)

Detroit struggles to put the ball in the basket with Jackson in the lineup. They’re ranked 22nd overall with 102.8 points a night and 14th with an offensive rating of 107.7 points per 100 possessions. According to Basketball Reference, the Pistons boast an offensive rating of 108.8 with Jackson on the floor compared to 106.1 when he sits.

This injury will have Reggie Jackson sidelined until the end of February. If all goes well, he’ll return between Feb. 21 and Feb. 28. Over this coming stretch, the Pistons don’t have the hardest schedule, but they do face their fair share of playoff caliber teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), Toronto Raptors (twice), Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics.

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