Detroit Pistons: Top 3 individual performances from the 2018-19 NBA season
After missing the postseason by just one spot in the year prior, the Pistons edged past their opponents this year around to bag the last playoff berth there was, with an even 41-41(0.500) win-loss record. Entering murky waters as an unimpressive eighth seed, Griffin and his squad were matched up against the mighty Bucks in the first round. It wasn't much of a battle, and eventually, Milwaukee got rid of the ailing Detroit side in just four games to advance to the East semis.
Led by an All-Star in Blake Griffin who kept posting career-high numbers on a nightly basis, there was no chance of his team was going past the No. 1 seed, with him injured and cheering from the sidelines.
More often than not, the team seemed like an unsolvable mess, with Griffin carrying the scoring responsibilities on almost every night. The system was not sustainable, and the uneven work distribution was exposed when their superstar went missing.
Nevertheless, the players did present a few notable performances throughout the 2018-19 campaign and let's take a look at the three most impressive ones.
#3 Reggie Jackson's valiant 32-point effort in win over Atlanta Hawks
The Pistons flew into Atalanta en-route to their playoff push after having won four of the last five games. Griffin was ejected in the third quarter (which was questioned by players and coaching staff alike) following two technical fouls, and Coach Casey was faced with the unpleasant job to look for efficient scoring options from the roster.
The 29-year-old point guard stepped up for a team-high and season-high total of 32 points (15 of which he scored in the second quarter alone) against the Hawks to steal a 125-122 win on the road.
Jackson shot a decent 12-of-22 (54.5%) from the field, along with 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Considering the fact that he had not been able to cross the 20 point mark in the previous 5 games, this was a much-needed effort from Reggie Jackson.