What Does Jabari Parker's Return Really Mean for the Bucks?

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Reinhold Matay Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Just when things got crazy in Milwaukee with the firing of former head coach Jason Kidd last week, the Bucks went ahead and won four straight games under interim coach Joe Prunty. Giannis Antetokounmpo exploded for a 41-point performance in his first game since he lost his buddy Kidd, and backed it up with a near triple-double against the Bulls followed by 31 points, 18 rebounds and six assists in a win over the Embiid-less 76ers on Monday. In the span of a week, the Deer have put themselves five games over .500 at 27-22 and while currently in the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference, only 2.5 games separate them from the 3rd seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.

Now the time has finally come. After another year of intense and excruciating rehab, the Bucks are set to once again welcome back what will hopefully be the missing puzzle piece in 22-year-old Jabari Parker, who will make his debut Friday night at home against the Knicks after averaging 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting nearly 37% from downtown through 50 games last season.

When Milwaukee drafted Jabari Parker back in 2014, there was abundant pressure put on him to be the franchise’s savior. The hype surrounding him was so big that they held his press conference for the public to see at the Milwaukee Public Market. While the 18-year-old phenom welcomed the pressure and was ready to put the franchise on his back, just 25 games into his rookie season he tore his ACL for the first time. Milwaukee still went on the make the playoffs, but lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games. It’s clear that Jabari’s presence could have helped them get over the hump.

He returned the next year and nearly played a full season while averaging 14.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in 76 games. The Bucks failed to live up to expectations and won just 33 games en route to a 12th place finish in the East. While disappointing, a lack of veterans on the roster along with the failed experiment of Michael Carter-Williams at point guard was largely to blame.

The next season Milwaukee tweaked the roster, gave the keys to the offense to jumpstart superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, and let Jabari loose as he was having an All-Star caliber season while helping lead his team to what would have been his first playoff appearance. The Bucks were finally getting what they wanted and the fans were getting a taste of what was to become of these two young studs. Then it happened, again. The former Duke product went down with his second torn ACL in just his third season. The amount of devastation and heartbreak that set in cannot be explained. A kid that everyone so badly wants to love and do well goes down in the midst of another playoff run.

While the Bucks have patiently waited for Jabari to make his return to the hardwood, a lot has happened during his rehab. For the second time, Jabari had to watch his teammates in the playoffs without him and then general manager John Hammond left in the offseason to pursue a new challenge in Orlando. After a bizarre search, Milwaukee hired 34-year-old Jon Horst, who has been better than expected in his first season. From trading for Eric Bledsoe to having the balls to cut the cord with Jason Kidd midseason, Horst has shown his dedication to making real changes.

The return of Jabari Parker is huge on so many levels. As a former top pick and top-tier talent headed for restricted free agency this summer, Parker has been subject to a lot of rumors and speculation over the last year. With two major knee surgeries under his belt, Milwaukee was hesitant to offer him a max five-year extension like his peers Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid received from their respective teams before the season started. Even with Embiid only playing 31 games prior to his extension, it’s understandable as to why the Bucks didn’t pull the trigger for Parker. The Bucks have had ample opportunity to trade away Parker for a piece such as Hassan Whiteside or DeAndre Jordan, both of whom could fill a glaring need at the center position and help this team make a deep postseason run. As easy as that may seem to be at this point given Parker’s injury history, the case for him to remain a Buck means so much more in the long run.

When you look at the top of the Eastern Conference, you see the Celtics, Raptors and Cavs, who have made it to the finals three straight years with the best player in the world in LeBron James. It would be sexy and make the Bucks a dangerous threat to those teams if they acquired a guy like Jordan but it would only be a half-year rental as Jordan can opt out of his contract and become a free agent at the end of the season. As heartbreaking as it was to see Parker go down again, it would be even more heartbreaking if Milwaukee included him in a trade and still failed in their quest to make a finals run.

Reality is, the Bucks still haven’t even made it out the first round of the playoffs since 2001 and the chances of them making a finals run with LeBron James still in the east in the prime of his career is easier said than done. I would hate to see Jabari go to a new team and become an All-Star while the Bucks might win a playoff series or two before losing Jordan in free agency this summer. Then what? Milwaukee starts next season with no center and no Jabari Parker. Milwaukee would be back to exactly where they are at now, wondering what could have been.

If I am the Bucks, I stay away from the lust of Jordan or any other trade and see what you have in Parker. Too much time and effort has been invested from both sides to simply give up on him at this point. Yes, he’s struggled to stay on the floor but at the same time he’s only 22 and means so much more to your franchise on and off the floor. Not to mention, if he comes back and takes a huge load off Giannis and Middleton’s shoulders scoring wise, Milwaukee will be able to either give him an extension or match any offer made to him in restricted free agency.

The hope has always been to make it work and have a dynamic duo of Parker and Giannis. While cap problems could arise with Bledsoe and Middleton on the books as well, it would be a good problem to have rather than having to scramble to fill major needs down the line. I hate to say it, but the odds of this team winning a championship this season are still minimal after a midseason coaching change along with LeBron James vying for an 8th straight finals and no sign of any team beating the Golden State Warriors in a seven game series.

That being said, after all that Jabari, the organization and fans have been through throughout this whole process, who isn’t the least bit curious to see what the Bucks can be with the addition of Parker. I think I speak for most when I say that we’ve been so patient and it’s finally time to see what they are made of. Don’t expect Jabari to be a world-beater right way, though. The plan is to integrate him slowly and ease him into the rotation. He’ll start out on a minutes restriction at about 15 minutes per game while working his way back into game shape. The goal is insert him into the starting lineup by season’s end just in time to make some noise in the playoffs.