Oklahoma City Thunder: Reggie Jackson Wants To Be A Starter But Can't Replace Westbrook! Will OKC Pay The Price For Him Next Year?
The Oklahoma City Thunder made another excellent draft pick in Reggie Jackson. The combo guard blossomed during the extended period of Russell Westbrook's injury last season. He played so well, that he thinks he deserves to be a starter.
That's not an easy route to take since you have one of the NBA's best, Russell Westbrook standing in front of the line.
And that's not the only difficult choice the Oklahoma City Thunder has to make regarding Jackson. At the end of next season, the rising star will become a restricted free agent. Will the Oklahoma City Thunder, a notoriously frugal team, venture into the luxury tax territory to keep him?
Bleacher Report recently observed:
"We know OKC has statistically dominated when it's used the two-point-guard lineup. So, what happens if it decides to play Jackson at the 2 moving forward? All of a sudden, the Thunder will lose their best bench player, but that may be thinking too short term.
Jackson is going to get paid in 2015 to such a degree that it'd be silly to keep him as a bench player. He's still only 24 years old and has already established himself as one of the four or five best backup point guards in the league. Heck, he may be the best."
The Thunder's record when it comes to retaining their own free agents is spotty, to say the least. The James Harden trade is still a big slap on their faces. They could have taken down the Miami Heat, they could've been a dynasty, but they did not want to spend extra money-something half of all NBA teams are willing to do if it means making their team competitive.
The Thunder has to roll the dice, and it's not just about money, since Jackson already mentioned he wants to start. From the Oklahoman:
"I don't think about ever coming off the bench for any team. If that's the role I'm put in, that's what I'm put in. But since the day I thought about playing in the NBA, I've always been a starter. Everything I've thought about, whether it be middle school, high school, kids leagues, I never envisioned coming off the bench....
"For some people (starting is) important. To others it's not. It's very prideful for me. I feel like I'm very talented. I feel like I can lead a team. That's just how I've been raised and that's just how I've always felt. I want to be the guy in charge. I want to be the guy leading the team. The head of the snake."
The OKC Thunder needs to win a title before Kevin Durant's free agency. They know that, and everybody knows that. Losing a young contributor like Reggie Jackson is NOT the way to do it.