The OKC Thunder dealt backup point guard Reggie Jackson to the Detroit Pistons late last week, ending a tumultuous four-year partnership.
Jackson was thrilled to join the Pistons and be given the reins to his own squad.
According to the emotional 24-year old — who had 17 points and 5 assists, following a rough start in his Pistons debut Sunday — he took too much of the blame whenever things didn’t go right for the Thunder.
Per Yahoo! Sports:
“You’re my point guard,” the president and coach of the Pistons said, and soon they hung up, and Reggie Jackson crumpled and started to sob. He couldn’t stop. He cried and cried and cried. And, now, 24 hours later, Jackson was on the phone with a reporter, and it was happening again.
“I’ve always dreamed about this, and I was never sure it would happen,” Jackson said. “Stan (Van Gundy) believes in me, in the leader that I can be. He believes in the player that I can be, and I’ve always imagined having a coach like this, an opportunity like this, in the NBA.”
“I wasn’t always perfect, nor was the situation, but I became the brunt of the blame there,” Jackson said. “Everything bad that happened, I was the scapegoat. I’m taking all this blame, and I’m wondering: ‘How am I supposed to change it all here, make an impact, in eight minutes a game?’ Everybody is jumping down my neck, and it gets annoying when I’m supposed to have this great impact playing so little this season. […] All of a sudden, I’m the bad locker room guy. I’m the problem…”
