The Milwaukee Bucks managed to stay afloat in the absence of Jabari Parker but, as of Feb. 2, the team will not be forced to encounter opponents without the talented forward. On Monday evening, Bucks GM Jon Horst announced that Parker would make his long-awaited season debut against the New York Knicks and he said the following about the return.
“Jabari has worked extremely hard with our medical, performance and coaching staffs to get to this point. He’s passed all the tests and been cleared to return by our team physician Dr. William Raasch of the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network. Just as important, Jabari feels ready to play and we’re excited for his return to game action on Friday.”
Parker, who despite being a name basketball fans have known forever remains just 22 years old, will appear for the first time since tearing his ACL on Feb. 8, 2017. As a result, he will narrowly beat a one-year timetable for his return. Prior to the injury occurring, the former Duke standout was making great strides, particularly on the offensive end, as Parker averaged 20.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game during the 2016-2017 season in 51 appearances.
Though it remains to be seen what his workload will be, this return does not come out of left field, as it was widely hoped that Parker would return prior to the All-Star Break, especially after progressing through a G League assignment with flying colors.
While his relationship with now-former head coach Jason Kidd came under the fire in the wake of the change on the bench, Parker’s return should inspire great confidence in Milwaukee and provide Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe with a much-needed running partner.
Jabari Parker probably won’t look like Jabari Parker immediately following a second ACL tear but, by any definition, it is encouraging that he will be back on the floor in short order.
