I can't say it does. Luke's appearences in Jessica Jones help set up the character, but so far I think it works as a stand-alone series. That is to say - watching Jessica Jones before Luke Cage is not essential.
I did find that Jessica Jones took me two attempts to get into. It was a bit of a slow starter, but when I made it past episode 2 or 3 and some of the plot was explained a little better, I found it easier to watch.