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Reggie Jackson returns to practice for offense-starved Pistons

Rob Foldy / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Detroit Pistons may be close to getting point guard Reggie Jackson on the floor for the first time this season.

Jackson has been out since training camp with left knee tendinitis, an ailment for which he received a platelet-rich plasma injection in early October. He practiced Monday for the first time since undergoing the procedure, taking half the Pistons' point guard reps, MLive's Aaron McMann reported.

The PRP treatment came with a projected recovery timeline of six-to-eight weeks, so Jackson is on schedule. The 8-10 Pistons can't get him back soon enough, because they've let a strong defensive start to the season go to waste thanks to the league's sixth-worst offense.

Without a strong pick-and-roll complement for Andre Drummond, the Pistons have not only struggled to punish teams inside, but have failed to generate open looks from the 3-point line - the byproduct of failing to suck in weak-side defenders. Interim starter Ish Smith has done his damnedest to fill the void, but he's shooting just 35.6 as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, and just 39.9 percent overall.

In the first year of a five-year, $80-million contract with the Pistons last season, Jackson posted career highs in points (18.8), assists (6.2), 3-point percentage (35.3), and PER (19.6).

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