Pierre Jackson signs 4-year deal with 76ers
LAS VEGAS - Given their investment in Pierre Jackson, the 76ers' signing of the point guard late Tuesday was a formality.
LAS VEGAS - Given their investment in Pierre Jackson, the 76ers' signing of the point guard late Tuesday was a formality.
Jackson, who is playing on the club's NBA Summer League team, signed a partially guaranteed four-year contract at a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.
The Sixers acquired Jackson, a former Baylor star, in a 2014 draft-night trade , but he ruptured his right Achilles tendon last summer in the Orlando Pro Summer League. The team released him in September but still gave him a $400,000 deal for his rehabilitation.
"Obviously I was a devastated when I got hurt," said Jackson, who finished with nine points Wednesday in a 75-68 loss to the Brooklyn Nets in the team's summer playoff opener. "But . . . you know, [coach] Brett Brown and [general manager Sam Hinkie] communicated with me throughout the whole season in just keeping my faith up.
"Knowing that they still were interested and ready for me to get back right, yesterday was a big day for me. Sam is a great guy, and it was a big day for me and my family."
The 5-foot-10 Jackson, 23, played in the NBA Development League in the 2013-14 season.
The undermanned Sixers (0-4) struggled against the Nets. They shot 37.7 percent from the field and 13.3 percent on three-pointers in a game played without center Jahlil Okafor (excused absence), guard Jordan McRae (toe) and JaKarr Sampson (rest).
Okafor received permission to attend the ESPY Awards on Wednesday. He is scheduled to return Thursday morning. The Sixers will face Houston in a consolation game Friday at Cox Pavilion.
Brooklyn's Markel Brown finished with a game-high 23 points. Former Chester High and Arizona standout Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored two points.
Scottie Wilbekin led the Sixers with 11 points. Jackson shot 3 of 9 and had three assists and four rebounds in the loss.
"The one thing we have to keep in mind is that this is Pierre's third game in probably the last 360-something days," said assistant coach Lloyd Pierce, who is coaching the summer league team. "It's trying to find rhythm, trying to trust your body and be a little cautious as well as be aggressive."
Although he is satisfied with the contract, Jackson knows nothing is guaranteed.
"I never stopped working," he said. "That's been obvious throughout my basketball career since college. Obviously, you want to support your family and I want to continue to do that while playing in the NBA."
He joins a point guard group that includes Tony Wroten, Isaiah Canaan, and T.J. McConnell.
"That's going to be fun," Jackson said. "We're going to be real versatile and switch it up. I can score, I can pass and we will be able to play off each other."
Dr. J's take
Sixers great Julius Erving told SiriusXM NBA Radio that the team is still years away from being a contender.
When a group led by Josh Harris bought the team in July 2011, "I think the talk was about seven years," Erving said. "So I think it's still on that same timeline. . . . That's probably the 2018-19 [season], right?"
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