DENVER — Denver Nuggets point guard Reggie Jackson was in the postgame locker room with boxes full of shoes, presumably mismatched. Jackson had just made his home debut with his home state team, a 134-124 overtime win for the Nuggets Sunday night over Jackson’s old team, the LA Clippers.
“I knew I was going to get traded,” said Jackson. “I knew I was probably going to get traded.”
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At the deadline earlier this month, Jackson was traded with cash and a 2028 second-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Mason Plumlee. Three days later, Jackson was bought out of the last year of his contract before being waived. Two days after that, the Nuggets signed Jackson.
When I caught up to Jackson, my question wasn’t even finished before he answered.
“I’ve been in the game for 12 years,” Jackson told The Athletic of his final days with the Clippers, a team he joined after being bought out of by the Detroit Pistons three years ago. “I was the only expiring contract. Got to get better. Can’t really move anything. And the only two young assets you have is Terance Mann, who took over at the point guard position. So, can’t trade him at the time, as it’s probably not good. I knew we had Luke (Kennard). So, the writing was on the wall for me. Being a pretty smart guy, I kind of knew. Either we were going to stay put, play small-ball, or, if anything was going to happen, I was ready to be the one that would probably be moved.”
Prior to his Nuggets debut, Jackson’s most recent appearance at Ball Arena was Jan. 5, another nationally televised Clippers road visit to Denver. It would be the last time Jackson started a game with Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. And, as Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray reminded Jackson, that game was the opposite of Sunday’s game, a 122-91 rout that saw Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue bench his entire starting lineup after trailing 66-32 at halftime.
“Didn’t we play a close game?” Jackson asked Murray about the debacle in Denver last month.
“No, we whupped y’all ass,” Murray replied to Jackson.
The following night in Minnesota, Jackson started for the final time as a Clipper, doing so on the latter part of a back-to-back that saw George begin a multi-week injury absence due to his troublesome hamstring and Leonard miss the game on usual injury maintenance. When the Clippers returned back home to face the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 8, Jackson came off the bench behind Mann as the Clippers lost a sixth straight game, tied for the team’s second-longest losing streak in the last decade. And then, Jackson was a DNP-CD for Lue until after John Wall’s final game as a Clipper, on Jan. 13 against the Nuggets.
Jackson’s first made bucket during his Nuggets home debut was the kind of shot bail-out worthy of remembering his ‘Big Government’ nickname. Sunday night completed something of a full circle for Jackson.
“Oh yeah, this was the whole spiral with everything changing,” Jackson said of his time in Denver prior to his home debut. “It did feel good to get this one. Really, another great team. Championship-contending team. Getting Aaron Gordon back, toughing it out, coming to play for us today. So, just trying to figure it out. And then myself, playing with the second unit with Thomas Bryant, trying to figure that out. It’s just good to get some continuity, get some time together. After the way we lost in Memphis, it was good to come and get a win. And especially to be against your old team, feels great.”
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Jackson and Murray talked about how the Nuggets completed a four-game sweep as well. Unlike the first three meetings, the Nuggets had to win a close game against the Clippers after blowing an 18-point first-quarter lead. The Clippers, who lost a heartbreaker in double overtime Friday night against the Sacramento Kings, had a 118-117 lead in the final minute of Sunday’s game. Leonard stripped Murray’s dribble, forcing Murray to retrieve the ball in the backcourt late in the shot clock. Murray was forced to hoist a shot from half court to beat the clock.
“I ain’t’ going to lie, when you pulled, I’m like, ‘That’s going in!'” Jackson said to Murray in the locker room.
“Me too!” Murray said. “I thought it was going in.”
It missed, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope secured the offensive rebound and got the ball back to Murray, who found Michael Porter Jr. for the go-ahead 3. George would make free throws, and the game went into overtime after George’s made shot failed to beat the game clock. The Clippers never made a field goal in overtime, and Nikola Jokić completed a 40-point triple-double.
Jackson said that while things did not end the way he wanted with the Clippers, he understands it’s a business. He also knew what the situation was with the Clippers needing to balance the roster.
“I was happy for them when they got Miles,” Jackson said referring to Mason — Miles is Plumlee’s older brother. “I knew they needed a big, and I was fortunate enough that my agency and Charlotte worked something out to be able to have a buyout and (be) waived. And then also, great that I had a team here, especially home, who wanted me and gave me an opportunity to play again. Going from one contender to another. I mean, I can’t complain.”
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While Jackson made his home debut with the Nuggets, his replacement on the Clippers was returning to his old NBA city. Bones Hyland, who landed with the Clippers at the trade deadline as part of a four-team trade that also involved the Nuggets, Orlando Magic, and the Los Angeles Lakers, had never been in the visitors’ locker room at Ball Arena.
“Felt kind of weird, but it feels good though,” Hyland told The Athletic before Sunday’s game. “I’ve never been in here. So, it was kind of — I really didn’t know where to go.”
It wasn’t exactly a warm welcome back to Denver for Hyland. While Nuggets head coach Michael Malone praised Plumlee, who played for the Nuggets from 2017 to 2020, Malone only had five words on Hyland’s return.
“Wish him all the best,” Malone said before concluding his pregame news conference.
It's the dichotomy for me… https://t.co/23Drl6sDvo pic.twitter.com/9E1fTdci7R
— Law Murray 💔 (@LawMurrayTheNU) February 27, 2023
It didn’t end there. Tribute videos, or at least a welcome-back mention, aren’t just reserved for stars who played for a long time in a city. Whatever the low bar is for a tribute video, Hyland didn’t get one from Denver. Hyland was booed when he got on the court as well.
Jackson can probably relate to Hyland. After all, Jackson did not leave his original team on the best terms either, getting traded by the Thunder at the 2015 deadline to Detroit. Jackson’s role as Russell Westbrook’s backup mirrors Hyland’s role as Murray’s backup at a similar point in their respective careers. Both Hyland and Jackson were complimentary of each other.
“Reggie is a good player,” Hyland told The Athletic about Jackson. “A good dude as well, too. Nothing but respect for him.”
“His opportunity is going to come,” Jackson told The Athletic about Hyland. “He’s been on and off already playing over there a little bit. Today, the way he performed, kid looks like he prepares. He works hard. So, word of advice is just continue to keep your head down to work hard, to hone your craft. And be prepared for when your moment comes. That’s my word of advice for him. I like his game. I like the way he comes out, the way he attacks, the way he plays. So, I think he’s going to be here for quite a while. They got a nice little energy over there in LA, and they got a hell of a player.”
Hyland’s minutes were critical, as he helped the Clippers begin a comeback push from an 18-point first-quarter deficit, taking advantage of Jackson’s second unit. At one point, Hyland and Murray matched up, with Murray taking Hyland to school late in the clock.
“I spoke to a lot of guys already,” Hyland told The Athletic regarding the Nuggets. “The guys, I feel like they know it’s love on my end. So, I mean, I know it’s love.”
Hyland’s role has been scaled back with the addition of Westbrook, but he is thankful to be with the Clippers and to be teammates with Westbrook. At one point, when Westbrook rocked the baby in the third quarter to force a timeout, Hyland got off the bench to greet him with his own “cradle.”
“I always was a fan of Russ’ game,” Hyland told The Athletic. “Fan of Russ off the court as well. Great human being, great to be around. Great to talk to. Was the MVP of this league. Going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. … So, I’m glad we got him. He brings a lot to the team.”
Jackson has had his battles with Westbrook since the two were teammates. Now, Westbrook is the starting point guard for the Clippers, Jackson’s old role. But even Jackson was complimentary of Westbrook and his fit with the Clippers.
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“It’s good, I mean, got some continuity with Paul,” Jackson said. “I think when he’s playing, he’s fiery. He can make some plays. You definitely know what you’re going to get out of him.”
The Nuggets’ win over the Clippers boosted their West-leading record to 43-19. They’re the only team in the West that reached 40 wins before 20 losses. It’s one of the best teams Jackson has played on. But Jackson is using his experience with the Clippers to prepare the Nuggets for the bigger task ahead in the postseason.
“(The Nuggets have) been building this for a long time,” Jackson said. “Even with the run we had when I was in with the Clippers, is you understand you want to do the best you can in the regular season. But once the lights come on, and you get into the playoffs, it’s a whole different ballgame. It’s anybody’s game.”
While Jackson is onto a new team, he’s keeping an eye on the Clippers. He won’t be back in Southern California for the rest of this regular season, as the Nuggets have already played their road games against the Clippers and Lakers. But when I told Jackson that I don’t know when or where I’ll see him again, Jackson winked and said he expects to see the Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals — which would mean the Clippers landing in the No. 4 or 5 seed and winning a quarterfinals series. If the season ended today, that series would be against the Suns.
“Man, I love LA,” Jackson said as he was handed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “I root for LA. Just not when we play them. But other than that, man, ain’t no hard feelings. It’s fun to watch. It’s fun to see what they’re doing. And as far as me, you always got to change to try to get better. So, never take it personal.”
(Photo of Reggie Jackson and Terance Mann: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)