Knees suck. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, Milwaukee Bucks rookie star Jabari Parker will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn ACL in his team’s game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker is likely to miss the rest of his rookie season after suffering what the Bucks suspect is a torn ACL in his left knee, league sources said.
Sources told ?ESPN.com that the Bucks are expected to announce Wednesday that Parker is lost for the season after the nasty injury he suffered in the third quarter of the Bucks’ dramatic win Monday night in Phoenix resulted in a tear and not a sprain as initially diagnosed.
Video of the injury is below. Parker’s left knee clearly buckles inward without contact as he’s driving on PJ Tucker:
//platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js
We assumed the worst upon watching the injury live, but a report from the Bucks shortly after the incident indicated that Parker only suffered a sprain. Obviously, that diagnosis was premature and made before the necessary tests had been taken.
The 19 year-old Parker has started every game for the 13-12 Bucks, averaging 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds a night. After a tough start shooting the ball this season, the former Duke Blue Devil has come on like gangbusters of late. He’s shooting a red hot 58.9 percent from the field in December, finding more consistent means to scoring the ball via his rare combination of size, athleticism, and knack.
It’s safe to assume that Ersan Ilyasova will take Parker’s place in the starting lineup. And though the Turkish veteran is a better shooter and more sound team defender than the rookie, Milwaukee will certainly miss Parker’s off-dribble dynamism and prowess as a transition runner. Ilyasova has missed the last six games after suffering a concussion, but could play in Wednesday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
This is unfortunate on a lot of levels, but should prove a blip in the radar of a terrific career for Parker. And while the Bucks will miss him this season, they’re still well equipped to make the playoffs in a depleted Eastern Conference.
Get well soon, Jabari! We can’t wait to watch you tear it up come next October.
What do you think?
Follow Jack on Twitter at @ArmstrongWinter.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
