Atlanta Hawks: Examining how Jabari Parker will be used

With a crowded frontcourt, how could the Atlanta Hawks use new forward Jabari Parker for the 2019-20 season?

If someone were to ask what the prevailing theme of the Atlanta Hawks offseason was, one could merely answer: Forwards. The Hawks acquired forwards in the draft, acquired forwards in trades and even added a few through in free agency.

The most interesting of the bunch might be Jabari Parker.

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Atlanta signed Parker to a two-year deal worth $13.5 million after the Washington Wizards declined year two of a two-year, $40 million deal Parker signed last summer. This is Parker’s fourth team in three years after stints with Milwaukee, Chicago and Washington.

With the addition of several forwards this past summer, what could the Hawks have in store for Jabari Parker?

Last season, Parker was traded from Chicago to Washington and took a step in the right direction, averaging 15.0 points and 7.2 rebounds.  He also saw a leap in his efficiency, shooting 52 percent, albeit, in 25 games.

Still, after accepting a bench role, Parker became a much-focused scorer and contributor on offense.

On a team with young talent, Parker could be seen as an off-the-bench scoring option, but his passing ability will also be key.

Parker’s 3.2 assists per 36 minutes last season, offers the idea that Parker could be a decent creator in spurts for Atlanta. In minutes shared with Trae Young, Parker can also double as a solid ball mover and secondary creator.

With several players who need to find players to create for them, this could be a valuable role for Parker.

Still, there are areas where Parker struggles to find footing with the Hawks in his first season. His 3-point shooting needs to find a happy medium. In the 2017-18 season, Parker finished with 38 percent shooting on just 81 attempts.

Last season, Parker finished with 31 percent 3-point shooting and that tally dipped to just 25 percent after the trade.

The combination of shooting and creation works well for most players and for Parker, it would work well for him in a bench role, but also playing alongside someone like Evan Turner, who is a known for his poor shooting.

If Parker can return to around league average shooting from long-range, that only makes him more valuable.

The second issue is Parker’s defensive ability or lack thereof. With two ACL injuries in his past and a lackluster defensive I.Q, Parker has been a liability on the defensive end for much of his career, which often leads to him working best coming off the bench.

And the Atlanta Hawks are not a good defensive team.

Last season, Atlanta finished 27th in the league in defensive efficiency and the addition of Parker doesn’t help that. Trae Young is a sieve defensively and the departure of Dewayne Dedmon defending the rim could hurt Atlanta’s poor perimeter defenders.

For Parker, specifically, it’s tough to envision him playing with the likes of Young, Kevin Huerter and John Collins — three of Atlanta’s best players, but also three poor defenders.

One of the potential forward pairings for Parker is rookie De’Andre Hunter. Hunter, coming from the University of Virginia, is known for his strong defensive prowess and could be an impact defender right away.

Keeping someone like Hunter to protect Parker on the defensive side of the ball could maximize his offensive value.

Still, the lack of true defensive players is what could hurt Atlanta as they attempt to move up in the Eastern Conference standings, as well as what could hurt Parker from playing a meaningful role on this team’s second unit.

The Atlanta Hawks have added a glut of forwards this offseason. Drafting De’Andre Hunter and Cameron Reddish, trading for Chandler Parsons and Evan Turner, and finally, adding Jabari Parker added several duplicative pieces to a young roster.

Still, of the players they added in the frontcourt, Parker has the chance to be the most interesting because of his offensive skill set, namely, his ability to handle the ball and create offensive for himself and others off the bench.

This is also seen as a chance for Parker to turn his career around. Just five seasons after being selected second overall, Parker, just 24 years old, was largely an afterthought after the Wizards declined his team option.

For a team that could use a spark plug off the bench, Parker appears to be on a team that could use his skill set.