No team relied on their starting lineup more than the Pistons last season, but they won't be able to for at least the start of this season, after coach Jeff Van Gundy confirmed Reggie Jackson's knee troubles Wednesday.
Jackson, who has apparently been dealing with tendinitis in his left knee dating back to his time in Oklahoma City, will miss at least the next few weeks recovering from the injury. The exact timetable will depend on what treatment options Jackson pursues, but the initial expectation is that Jackson could miss up to six-to-eight weeks as he recovers from the injury.
The good news is, surgery is not currently expected to be part of the treatment course. Of course, in the long run, it's fair to wonder if that might leave Jackson more susceptible to a recurrence of the injury -- or whether this might be the kind that lingers all season long even after he overcomes this initial issue.
For Fantasy players, Jackson probably falls out of the ranks of the No. 2 guards in the wake of this injury. Even on the shorter end of the timetable, Jackson would still miss around 10 games; if it's eight weeks, you're probably looking at around 18-20 games. That's a long time an early-round draft pick to miss.
We actually just did a mock draft Tuesday that had Jackson selected with the 28th overall pick. I moved him down to No. 24 at guard in both my Roto and H2H points rankings, making Jackson more of a sixth or seventh-round pick. He should play like a top-40 player when healthy, but the missed time and increased risk moving forward makes it awfully hard to depend on him.
The Pistons are reportedly looking for help at the point guard position in light of this news, but they do expect to go into the season with Ish Smith as the starter at this point. Smith has found his place over the last few seasons by bringing respectability to the 76ers' offense, and he should fit right in with Detroit.
The Pistons' bread-and-butter play was the pick and roll with Jackson and Andre Drummond, and if there is one thing Smith knows how to do, it's run a pick and roll. He has never been an efficient scorer, but Smith averaged 14.7 points and 7.0 assists per game for the 76ers in 32.4 minutes per game, and that was without Drummond setting the picks and going up for lobs. Expect close to what Smith averaged in Philadelphia for as long as he is starting for the 76ers. He is worth targeting in the later rounds on Draft Day, especially if you take Jackson.
Gary Harris to miss 4-6 weeks with a groin injury
The Nuggets will also be without at least one member of their projected starting five, as Harris suffered a partially torn groin Wednesday. This timetable will see Harris miss at least the first week or so of the season and, with time to recover and get back into shape after missing nearly all of training camp, it is probably safe to assume a bit longer on the timetable here as well.
Harris took a big step forward in his second season, averaging 12.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and he emerged as a solid shooter on the wings for the Nuggets. Harris went in the 10th round in our recent mock draft, and is still a fine flier in the later rounds in Rotisserie leagues, however don't be surprised if he ends up going undrafted. If so, keep an eye on his recovery, because Harris can be a solid contributor off the wire once healthy.
This injury does likely open up and opportunity for Jamal Murray to get into the rotation. The Nuggets seem to prefer bringing Will Barton off the bench and though he does likely stand to benefit here, this is a bigger opportunity for Murray. Unless they want to go super-big with Wilson Chandler, Murray seems like a natural replacement for the starting five.
That should make him a bit more appealing for Fantasy, at least as a streaming play early. His shooting ability should translate from day one, and he will have plenty of opportunities to space the floor around Emmanuel Mudiay and Nikola Jokic. Murray flashed playmaking skills at Kentucky, and has projected as a combo guard, but it might take a while for that to ultimately show up in the NBA.
In the short term, Murray looks like he could be a solid contributor of shooting and scoring, with perhaps some assist upside if he proves more ready than expected. He won't be worth much more than a late-round flier, but I will be taking a shot on Murray with one of my last picks in upcoming drafts.
Don't forget, Murray was the No. 7 pick in this draft. He has skills. If he takes advantage of this opportunity, you might just unearth a Fantasy sleeper.
