Sixers' Pierre Jackson suffers Achilles injury at Orlando Summer League

Sixers guard Pierre Jackson sustained a right Achilles injury during his 2014 Orlando Summer League debut on Saturday. The 5-foot-10 Jackson went down in the

Sixers guard Pierre Jackson sustained a right Achilles injury during his 2014 Orlando Summer League debut on Saturday.

The 5-foot-10 Jackson went down in the second quarter as he tried to cut to receive the ball near mid-court. There was no contact on the play and he immediately reached for his right leg before requiring assistance to leave the court. He departed with seven points (on 3-for-5 shooting) and one steal in seven minutes and did not return. The Magic defeated the Sixers 83-77.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Sixers believe Jackson sustained a ruptured Achilles, but that he will undergo further testing. Such an injury can often require that a player sits out for an entire season. 

"Thank you to everyone reaching out, it's highly appreciated," Jackson wrote on Twitter after the game. "Pray for me."

It's a cruel break for the 21-year-old Jackson, who has yet to make his NBA debut after being selected in the second round of the 2013 draft. The Baylor star was drafted by Philadelphia and subsequently traded to New Orleans last summer. The Pelicans never called him up, even though he averaged 25.3 points and 5.4 assists in 31 appearances for the D-League's Idaho Stampede, and scored a whopping 58 points in a game against the Texas Legends and earned All-Star honors. A brief stint playing professionally in France didn't pan out last fall and he left the Stampede to play in Turkey during the season.

New Orleans eventually traded his rights back to Philadelphia in exchange for Louisville's Russ Smith, who was taken with the No. 47 pick in this year's draft.

Jackson does not have a guaranteed contract for the 2014-15 season with Philadelphia. He had hoped that Summer League would provide him the opportunity to find a spot on the Sixers' rebuilding roster.

“I just feels like when you come up here, it’s a blessing and you want to stay up here," Jackson said last week, according to CSNPhilly.com. "That’s my goal. I’m trying to stick.”

Video via YouTube user outsidethenba