What Happens If Milwaukee Bucks Keep Winning?

This Team May Not Need Jabari To Be Successful

In addition to the positional maw Parker left behind, he also left a large offensive burden waiting to be picked up by his teammates.

With catch-and-shoot wings and ground-bound centers, Parker was the team’s best option to attack the defense and took on the brunt of the scoring whenever Antetokounmpo sat.

In the games Parker has missed that load has been passed around from game to game, with different players stepping up in the frontcourt.

In their win over Indiana, Thon Maker stepped in and shot 3-of-5 from behind the arc for 12 points in 22 minutes, and Teletovic hit another five triples of his own for 19 points. Their victory over Detroit was Michael Beasley’s show, as he poured in 23 points on 10-for-13 shooting.

Greg Monroe has put up 50 points of his own over their last two games on 24-of-31 shooting.

If offensively the Bucks can manage without Parker, defensively they have a much higher ceiling. While the effort was there, Parker was an average defender at best.

While Beasley isn’t an upgrade defensively, crunch-time lineups featuring Antetokounmpo at the 4 unlock a more versatile and smothering defensive weapon.

The team’s reliance on Parker long-term is also called into question. Milwaukee last made the playoffs during Parker’s rookie season, one he missed the majority of with his last ACL tear. In 2016 the team failed to make the postseason as Parker nursed his way back to health.

While Parker is clearly a valuable player, this team simply morphs into a different creature in his absence — and one that is not necessarily worse.

With Jabari Parker eligible for an extension this offseason, the team will have to take a hard look at how it wants to spend its money moving forward. A 20-point scorer at the 4 who is developing a three-point shot and can attack the basket is worth keeping around at a high price tag.

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But a defensive liability coming off of his second ACL tear that the team can live without? Suddenly his value becomes more nebulous. If Milwaukee keeps winning, not only can they see the results of a world without Parker, but it gives them leverage going into contract negotiations.

Milwaukee knows it is not better off without Parker – he is one of the most talented young offensive players in the league, he works hard, and the organization loves him.

A full rotation featuring Parker, Antetokounmpo and Middleton never got to see the court, and there is every reason to think that team could have reached the postseason.

Milwaukee is winning, and that is a gift to its fans and hope for the future. If this team can achieve success this season and go into next year adding Parker back into something good, their chances of reaching their potential only increases.

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There is a lot of talent on the Bucks and even in Parker’s absence it is shining through.