Reggie Jackson hit restricted free agency this offseason, but there was no doubt where he would end up signing when everything was said and done. The Detroit Pistons acquired him from the Oklahoma City Thunder prior to the NBA‘s trade deadline last year and saw him put up big numbers. He appears to be the franchise point guard of the future that they were looking for, and he ended up getting a massive five-year, $80 million contract from the Pistons.

While living up to that type of a contract can be very stressful for a young player like Jackson, he will handle it and emerge as a star with the Pistons during the 2015-16 season.

After being traded to the Pistons last season, Jackson ended up playing and starting in 27 regular season games. He averaged 17.6 points, 9.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game. Jackson also shot 43.6 percent from the field overall, but struggled a bit from behind the three-point line at just 33.7 percent.

At just 25 years old, Jackson is entering his physical prime and will be given a full season of being the starting point guard. Stan Van Gundy has always been great at teaching and motivating his point guards, and he always seems to get the best out of his players. Jackson will have to compete with Brandon Jennings for the starting job, but that likely won’t be too much of an issue.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Van Gundy play Jackson and Jennings alongside each other at the two guard positions at times. Jackson is more of a creator and playmaker, while Jennings likes to score the ball in bunches. Detroit needs both of their skill sets, but there is no question that the Pistons will view Jackson as their point guard whenever he is on the court.

There are only a few changes and improvements that Jackson needs to make to his game in order to take the next step. He will have to figure out how to improve his perimeter shooting in order to force defenses to defend him behind the line, which would open up his ability to get into the paint. Jackson also has to figure out how to be more of a vocal leader at the point guard position, although he already showed major improvement in that area following his trade to Detroit.

Other than those small things, Jackson’s game is improving at a very noticeable rate and there aren’t many point guards in the NBA with more upside than him. Detroit made the right decision by giving him a big contract to keep him in town long term, and he is going to be even better this season than he was last year.

Assuming Jackson stays healthy and improves as expected, he will be one of the better guards in the league this season. He has the green light with the Pistons, and the team will go as far as he is able to take them. Jackson is exactly the type of player a franchise can build their team around, and he will take a big leap forward and prove himself to be a legitimate star.

Evan Massey is a featured writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Massey_Evan and like him on Facebook.