Auburn Hills — When the Pistons announced last month that Reggie Jackson would be out for six to eight weeks because of treatments for tendinitis in his left knee and right thumb, things looked to be dour for the start of the season.
The silver lining was that the backup, Ish Smith, was confident and capable of stepping into the starting role. So far, things have worked out well, with Smith handling the transition well and the offense not suffering much without Jackson, the leading scorer from last season.
Jackson is on the road back to the lineup, with Monday as a milestone since his platelet-rich plasma injection in both the knee and thumb.