Carlisle: Jackson is ready for role
The way Stephen Jackson has been playing has been exceptional," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "I don't think that too many people in the league looked at him as being much of an all-around player. But if you look at the way he guarded (Boston's) Paul Pierce in the first series and the way he's guarding Tayshaun Prince in this series, he's going to gain the reputation as a very good all-around player -- not just a guy who can put the ball in the basket." Scoring has been Jackson's calling card. He has averaged 16.9 points in the postseason, 14.2 against the Pistons. But he shut down Prince in this series, holding him to 12.8 points and 41 percent shooting. "He's a very underrated defender," Pistons coach Larry Brown said. "This has been a hard matchup for Tayshaun." The knock on Jackson has been his temperament. He had a reputation for being undisciplined.
It's safe to say SJax won't have the same impact on the franchise as Reggie did but is he ready to step and take over Reggie's role? He's an underrated defender, overshadowed by Artest and JO. Reggie and Stephen have different games so he's not exactly going to replicate his style. However I do see a role where he comes off even more screens and to shoot even more.