The Next Generation: Jabari Parker -- The Step Back

Every season the draft brings a fresh infusion of talent to the NBA. In theory this is an even, steady process. In practice, hindsight and historical perspective show that there are borders and boundaries — talent doesn’t just arrive in the NBA, it arrives in generational waves. Sometimes we can’t see these aesthetic dividing lines for decades, sometimes you simply can’t miss them.

The present day NBA appears to be on the cusp of welcoming a remarkable new generation to its forefront — players who are not just incredible but incredibly unique. Players who will not just excel but transform the roles and responsibilities of basketball players as we understand them. Over the course of this week, The Step Back will be examining many of the players who could figure prominently in The Next Generation. Not every player we turn our attention to is destined to be a star, but all could play a role in defining the future of the NBA. Read the whole series here.

Art by Matthew Hollister /

The Next Generation: Jabari Parker

Jabari Parker’s last dunk of the 2016-17 season serves as a reminder of what he’s capable of. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds, Parker has a rare combination of size, speed and athleticism. He capitalizes when defenses give him even the slightest openings. When he drives, defenders feel him. When he dunks, the rim bends.

Here’s his last dunk, which came on Feb. 8 as the Bucks faced the Miami Heat:

Later that game, on a third quarter drive to the hoop, Parker’s left knee buckled. He went down, immediately reached for his knee and had to helped off the floor by his teammates. Soon after, the Bucks confirmed the worst possible outcome — Parker had torn the ACL in his left knee for the second time in three seasons. In an instant, Parker threw the Bucks’ future, and his career, a curveball.

At the time of his injury, Parker was having a borderline All-Star season — the type of season Milwaukee had banked on when they drafted him out of Duke in 2014. He looked like he was becoming Giannis Antetokounmpo’s running mate for the next decade. Where Giannis ran the show, Parker was his wingman, cutting off ball and catching passes for dunks before defenses knew what to do. Plays like this became Milwaukee’s new normal:

Parker, in his first full season after his first ACL tear, improved too. His 3-point percentage rose to 36.5 percent on 3.5 attempts per game, a respectable number considering he’d never broken 30 percent before. On defense, he looked more comfortable, especially against power forwards. Across the board, Parker was posting the best numbers of his career. This year was proof he was ready to be what Giannis’ and Milwaukee needed. The Bucks, too, were having success. They looked poised to make the playoffs and at least annoy the East’s best teams in the first round. How tough Milwaukee played Cleveland this season with Parker — the Bucks are only 1-3 against the Cavs, but every game has been close — is proof enough.

Now, Parker enters uncharted territory. In recent NBA history, only two players — Michael Redd and Josh Howard — have suffered two ACL tears. But both Redd and Howard were over 30 at the time of their injuries. Redd came back, coincidentally, with the Bucks and never returned to his previous level. Howard’s injury ended his career.

Parker, who turns 22 in just a few days, will be blazing his own path when he returns sometime next season, and this makes his future hard to predict. After his first tear, it took about a year for him to get all the way back and blossom into what he was this season. It took time, extreme self-belief and confidence, to get all the way back. Doing it again, aside from being an intense physical challenge, is also a mental one.

This injury, and all its potential ramifications, complicate the Bucks’ planning too. Parker is locked in next season at $8.8 million, but any contract beyond that carries inherent risk. It isn’t quite the predicament the Philadelphia 76ers face this summer with Joel Embiid and a potential $150 million deal, but it’s close. Based on his production this season, it wasn’t hard to envision him landing a $110 million deal from the Bucks. It wasn’t hard to envision him as Giannis’ running mate as the two moved into their primes. And over that contract, Milwaukee could have banked on Parker still improving too. Now, anything less than a full-on rebound and recovery casts doubt on Parker’s next deal. If he comes back and has lost even 10 percent of his bounce, his speed and his power, he can’t be the same player.

This is the question Milwaukee faces — how to best build around Giannis? Two years ago, when Parker first tore his ACL, the Bucks’ roster looked a lot different. Parker was the team’s most likely candidate to be a star considering his pedigree and upside. Now, Giannis is the face of the franchise. Every move Milwaukee makes has to be about maximizing his prime.

The trick, though, is even after his ACL injury, Parker might be the team’s best bet at finding Giannis’ long term running mate. Big time free agents — Greg Monroe excluded — don’t often go the Bucks. Thon Maker is still far away from becoming something real. Khris Middleton is good, but doesn’t have the same upside Parker does. Malcolm Brogdon was a nice pickup in what will likely go down as a historically bad NBA Draft, but he doesn’t project as anything more than a role player.

And if the Bucks are going to be in the playoff hunt, they won’t be in a position to nab another high draft pick. Even in a deep class where they are likely going to select around No. 13, nabbing a prospect like Creighton’s Justin Patton or California’s Ivan Raab doesn’t change much without a few breaks. Barring the lottery gods blessing the Bucks with a high enough pick to land Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball, Parker recovering fully is their best chance at finding that co-star.

Milwaukee and Parker, though, do have time on their side to a degree. Giannis is 22 and locked in through the 2021-22 season. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t going to vacate the top of the East for a few more years. And the Wizards, Raptors and Celtics are all better positioned to win right now than the Bucks. Even the Pacers, will Paul George smack in the middle of his prime and maybe wanting out, have more incentive to win right now.

Assuming they are comfortable with Parker’s recovery process, the Bucks could take it slow and bring him back only when he’s 100 percent ready. And being on the right side of 30 can’t hurt Parker’s recovery in the way it did Howard and Redd.

Maybe the Bucks are the perfect place for Parker to attempt something no one has ever done. He needs time and the Bucks, by NBA standards at least, have it. And in time, maybe Parker can get back to, and beyond, where he was this season.