AUBURN HILLS – Who’s caught your eye in the first week of camp?
That’s a fishing question and usually you’re lucky to get a little nibble. And when you do, the answer is usually someone from the back half of the rotation or the end of the bench – a player without an established resume, usually because of limited opportunity.
So it registered as something of a surprise when the three names Dwane Casey mentioned Monday were those of the three most established players on his roster: Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson.
“I didn’t realize how good Blake was until you coach him, how smart he was,” Casey began. “I didn’t realize how skilled Andre Drummond was. You don’t realize how good guys are until you coach them. Even with Reggie Jackson, you see how important he is to the team by coaching him. When he’s healthy. He’s a force to be reckoned with.”
And Jackson, by all accounts, is healthy. He wasn’t fully cleared until the eve of training camp after spending the summer addressing the aftermath of last December’s torn ankle ligaments. But Casey says Jackson is a full participant in practices.
“Went the whole practice today and ran line drills at the end. He had a really good practice today.”
Casey said they have yet to decide how much, if at all, Jackson will play in the two preseason games this week, at Oklahoma City on Wednesday and at San Antonio on Friday.
“We’ll talk and see. He hadn’t put his shoes on and went five on five until training camp, so we don’t want to rush it. If he feels like his body can let him go, we’ll roll with it. If not, it’s no big deal.”
The identity of the two players who’ll round out the starting lineup remains a long way from being determined. And Casey says it’s not so much about who outplays his competition as it is about best complementary fits.
“It’s the five-man chemistry that we’re trying to establish,” Casey said. “Who works well with Ish (Smith)? Who works well with Andre at the five as much as anything else more so than those combinations.”