Reggie Jackson is one of the more high profile players for the Oklahoma City Thunder this week in the NBA Summer League in Orlando. WIth only a handful of games against Eastern Conference teams, the Thunder's roster features last year's first round choice with Jackson out of Boston College as well as this years in Perry Jones III out of Baylor. They have 10 others, but those two players are the ones expected to break out if anyone can. And Jackson says he's ready for that role.
In a recent interview with Nick Gallo from the OKC Thunder's official web site, Jackson discussed his goals for this summer and many other things. More than anything, he's focused on improving all aspects of his game by participating in summer league action.
"Hopefully I just become a well-rounded player, fix some of my flaws and try to minimize some of my deficiencies," said Jackson. "This is just a way to get some playing time. It's good to get your legs moving, get going, try to get your wind up and just have fun. Playing with these guys is great for me and hopefully we become better teammates and just get better."
Jackson played in 45 games in his rookie season and averaged just over 11 minutes per game. With Eric Maynor coming back from injury, he could find less time this next season which means he needs to take advantage of every opportunity he can. In fact, he said he didn't even want to leave after the NBA Finals were over but wanted to stay and perfect his game.
"I went home to Colorado Springs. It was terrible," he said. "I hate being away from the gym. I felt like I was forced out of there. The coaches wanted me to stay away. I snuck in a few days and shot but didn't do too much. It was tough being away from these guys and then the fires didn't really help either. So it hurt, but once we drafted Perry (Jones) I wanted to get around this young talent and just have fun and try to go on this journey together and just be with these guys. I missed them, I wanted to see some of the faces that have come in for summer league and see what we can do this week."
You can watch every game of the 2012 Orlando Summer League on NBA TV or via a subscription to Summer League Broadband.
For more on the Orlando Pro Summer League and the Las Vegas Summer League, stay tuned to this StoryStream.
