Milwaukee Bucks: How Jabari Parker looks 3 weeks after his return

The Milwaukee Bucks welcomed back Jabari Parker after a year off due to injury. How has he looked after six games back on the court?

The Milwaukee Bucks welcomed back young forward Jabari Parker three weeks ago, after playing without him for a year as he recovered from a knee injury. After suffering his second serious knee injury in three seasons, there was a high-level of uncertainty that Parker could return at the same level as before.

Parker made his debut on Feb. 2 against the New York Knicks, 51 weeks after first suffering the injury. Including that game he has played in six games, averaging 9.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per game.

Six games is not a grand jury on Parker’s likelihood of regaining his past form, but it’s worth taking a closer look at. Since he has returned, has Jabari Parker shown signs of progression, or is he going to be a nine-points-per-game guy moving forward?

This is the question Milwaukee will be looking to answer, not only as it searches out a successful playoff rotation, but as free agency approaches as well. Parker, in the fourth year of his contract, will be a restricted free agent this summer. What sort of deal can the two sides come to? Will Milwaukee pay him like a young star, or an injury-prone reserve?

The most important area of his game to examine is his athleticism. Parker’s success at the NBA level has been predicated on his standout athleticism, whether soaring in for a dunk or rising up over an opponent for a quick jumper.

In Parker’s first game back, he got himself on the ledger for 2018 with a simple jumper.

While this isn’t an example of his hops, it does show Parker’s comfort level and balance coming down onto that knee. He stays square, not favoring his injured leg in any way, landing perfectly as he drains the shot.

In his most recent game, Parker showed off his ability to create separation. Guarded by the taller but slower Nikola Jokic, he dribbles in rhythm and then snaps off a step-back jumper. Again, his motion is fluid without any hitch going up or landing.

While Giannis Antetokounmpo has developed his jumper, he is not a knockdown shooter — perhaps the only true knock on the superstar. The ability for Parker and others to hit jumpers around Antetokounmpo will open up the floor.

From midrange Parker looks fully back; how does he look from further out?

While Parker misses, he doesn’t show any hitch in his shot or landing. He fires quickly without hesitation, which is very important for a player coming back from such a long layoff. He is not waiting to read the court, but is moving within the flow of the game.

Around the rim Parker has similarly shown no hesitation, moving with fluidity to generate high-percentage shots.

Here, Parker pivots smoothly on his recently repaired knee, moving quickly to find the opening and lay the ball in. No part of his move is rushed, nor does he stutter in his movements. It doesn’t appear that the knee factors into his play on any level, which is the goal.

That doesn’t mean that Parker is completely back, as it takes time to adjust to the game. He missed a dunk attempt in his first game back.

Whether the miss is a result of timing or lack of explosion off the ground, this is a shot Parker expects to make. For all of his other offensive abilities, Parker is special because of his athleticism and ability to attack the rim. If that skill-set is eroded in any way, he then loses value.

It’s clear he isn’t hindered every time around the rim, though. This dunk destroyed any pride the Atlanta Hawks had left.

Parker dunks on two separate defenders here, which is significant because he shows no hesitation once again. He goes right up into traffic, with no evidence he is thinking of landing or bumping knees. He’s thinking of dunking.

He has only played in six games thus far, and there is plenty of season left to ramp up his workload. In the weeks ahead there will be more opportunity to evaluate his play and determine whether the knee is holding him back.

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The Bucks hope he is all the way back, because it means they have another star player on their hands. It also means they will have to pay up this summer. The remainder of the season will have a lot of impact on an important summer for Jabari Parker and the Milwaukee Bucks.