Milwaukee Bucks: 5 reasons Jabari Parker’s return Friday will help
4. Parker is an efficient offensive weapon
Last seasonm 33 players put up 20 points per game, as Parker did in averaging 20.1. Of those players, just seven did so on 49 percent shooting from the field or better: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Blake Griffin and Jabari Parker.
Parker’s combination of handling, athleticism and size allow him to attack the basket without getting knocked off his path very easily. He took 50 percent of his shots at the rim last season, in the 84th percentile among all forwards, and shot 65 percent on such shots. This allowed him to have an above-average effective field goal percentage despite inconsistent results on jumpers.
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The Bucks are flush with inefficient offensive weapons, from streaky shooters in the backcourt to a center rotation that in general wants nothing to do with the ball. Of particular damage to the Bucks recently has been the shooting of Eric Bledsoe.
Bledsoe is shooting just 23 percent on 3-pointers over his last 10 games, before leaving the team’s most recent game after just three minutes with an ankle injury. Overall Bledsoe is hitting just 30.4 percent of his long range shots this season, by far his lowest mark in six years.
If Bledsoe has to miss time there will be a vacuum of shots for Parker to help fill, and even when he returns a more efficient option would be welcome. Parker will need to round into form himself, but ultimately Milwaukee’s offense will be better for his contributions.