Clippers: Is Ty Lue using Reggie Jackson incorrectly this season?

The LA Clippers are still in the process of figuring out what schemes will work and which plans should be abandoned without Kawhi Leonard in the rotation.

In this experimental phase of the season, head coach Ty Lue has asked a lot of point guard Reggie Jackson, but the results have been mixed.

While some might point to the fact Jackson is averaging 15.5 points per game (as of after the game against the Cavaliers), the second-best mark of his career, he is making just 32% of his shots, which is one of the worst marks in the league for someone that is shooting as frequently as he is. The puzzling thing about Jackson’s play is how he’s being used.

After Wednesday’s loss against a young Cleveland Cavaliers team, Jackson was shooting 10 3-pointers per game, and connecting on just 30% of them. While he did take the blame for his own poor performance, it’s clear that this coaching staff is trying to milk every drop of offensive production out of him without Leonard in the lineup.

Lue needs to change things up quickly, as he can’t allow Jackson to shoot at this rate if he’s going to brick seven out of every 10 attempts. Perhaps a role change or schematic adjustment is required.

Are the Clippers using Reggie Jackson correctly?

Reggie Jackson has always been a solid 3-point shooter, as he is a respectable 35% from deep in his career, but he’s clearly struggling with either the idea of being a secondary scorer behind Paul George or shooting as much as he is for the Clippers. Lue has been praised in the past for his ability to make slight rotation tweaks, and he needs to do something to wake Jackson up.

Perhaps giving slightly more minutes to Luke Kennard in lineups alongside Jackson might work? Kennard is averaging 26 minutes per game compared to Jackson’s 34, but he’s making 45% of his 3-pointers. Jackson is at his best when he’s using his speed to penetrate, not hanging out by the perimeter chucking up 3s.

With George also shooting barely over 30% from 3-point range and Kennard the only rotation player making more than 33% of their 3-point attempts, this issue is not simply a Jackson problem. However, fixing Jackson could have a reciprocal effect on the rest of the offense.

Until Kawhi gets back, the Clippers aren’t going to go anywhere without some quality play out of Jackson. Giving him a green light and letting him shoot his way out of this slump is clearly not working for Los Angeles, so it’s on Lue to figure out how to make Jackson a more efficient, aggressive player.

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