Each NBA team’s most devastating injury in franchise history
Most devastating injury in Milwaukee Bucks history: Jabari Parker
Of the top two prospects available going into the 2014 NBA Draft — Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins — many analysts believed that Parker had the better chance of becoming a solid-to-good NBA player, even if Wiggins had the higher ceiling due to his athleticism.
Fast forward to 2019 and both players look like major disappointments, especially when compared to the third overall pick in that draft in Joel Embiid.
While Wiggins’ issues can be attributed to his wish to play like a 1990s All-Star wing, Parker’s health has played a major role in stymieing his development.
He showed some promise in his rookie season with the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 12.3 points on 49 percent shooting. But in a December game against the Phoenix Suns, Parker tore his ACL, ending his season after only 25 games.
Parker returned the next year and put up slightly better numbers in his sophomore season, but in 2016-17, it appeared as though he was starting to live up to the promise that many pundits projected for him coming out of Duke.
That year, Parker averaged a career-best 20.1 points per game on 56.3 percent true shooting with a 19.1 PER. It seemed like Parker would fit in well as a co-star to fellow budding star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Then, he re-tore the same ACL after 51 games, once again ending another promising season. He wouldn’t return until Feb. 2, 2018. By then, Antetokounmpo had emerged as the Bucks franchise player.
After Milwaukee allowed Parker the walk in free agency in the 2018 offseason, he signed with his hometown Chicago Bulls. However, his time with Chicago didn’t last long, as his complete indifference of defense and his suddenly inefficient offensive game made him a net negative on a really bad Bulls team. Consider how low a bar that is.
The marriage lasted all of 39 games before they traded him to the Washington Wizards in a package that brought Otto Porter Jr. to Chicago in return. Perhaps the change in scenery will help him, but for right now, Parker looks like a low-key bust due to knee injuries.