Andrew Luck recently retired from the NFL while still in his prime due to the toll that consistent injury issues had on his body, and Detroit Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson considered a similar path a couple of years ago after he missed significant time in consecutive seasons dealing with different ailments.

Jackson played in just 52 games during the 2016-17 season, and only 45 the following season. Rather than walk away though, Jackson stuck to the grind, bounced back and appeared in all 82 games for the Pistons last season. Now he's entering a contract year, and is in much better spirits regarding the game of basketball.

"A few years back, I thought (my future) was retirement after this season," Jackson said, via The Detroit News. "I'm just happy to be in a good state of mind and playing ball this year. We'll figure (the future) out from there. I'm excited about what we can possibly do this year. ... I was just getting injured too much and I had hit basketball depression and it was a point in time that I really didn't want to deal with the game anymore. It was more the injuries that started to have that (retirement) thought creep in my head."

With his previous injury issues hopefully in the rear view, Jackson is looking to build on the momentum that he established toward the end of last season. He finished the year with averages of 15.4 points and 4.2 assists, while shooting a career-high 37 percent from 3-point range.

"Honestly, the rhythm I'm trying to chase is the one I had the last two or three months last season," Jackson said. "That's where the game came easy and I wasn't forcing anything and taking what was given. We were more comfortable as a team. ... I'm just trying to enjoy each and every day and the team I'm on and the opportunity God has given me and whatever He has in store for me."

It's always unfortunate when an athlete is forced to walk away from the game that they love because of injury issues, so it's good to see that Jackson was able to get his career back on track after some dark days.