NBA: How the 6 best free agents/buyout candidates can help their new teams

Reggie Jackson

New Team: LA Clippers 

After reaching a buyout agreement with Detroit, Reggie Jackson surprisingly chose to sign with the LA Clippers Tuesday night.

For a Lakers team that is in dire need of a backup point guard with playmaking abilities, Jackson would have been an ideal fit.

Albeit, Jackson is extremely streaky, is coming off a back injury, and caused many Piston fans to pull their hair out for several years, but it’s undeniable how excellent he is in the pick and roll.

Hypothetically speaking, whenever LeBron sat out, the pick-and-pop/roll duo of Jackson and Davis would’ve been pretty effective. We actually saw a poorer version of it in Detriot when Van Gundy had him run the play with Drummond.

Having said all that, focusing solely on the Clippers, one has to assume that he probably won’t play all that much. Considering how the only three guards on the team are also important supporting cast members, in Landry Shamet, Lou Williams, and Patrick Beverley, Doc Rivers is unlikely to take away heavy minutes from either of them.

Lou Williams is not only their leading bench scorer, but he’s also their third-best shot creator that often starts whenever Paul George sits out due to load management.

While, on the other hand, Landry Shamet is the Clippers’ best 3-point shooter that forces opponents to be super glued to him. A basketball nuance that is very similar to what J.J. Redick brought when he played for Rivers back in his Clippers days. i.e., Rivers ran a lot of plays for Redick and has shown a habit to favor those kinds of players.

And of course, we all know the defensive ferocity that Beverley has brought since his high school days.

In all likelihood, the Clippers probably recruited Jackson to prevent the Lakers from acquiring him and strengthening their roster. But that doesn’t mean he can’t help them during the regular season or serve as a spark plug for a game or two come playoff time.