The Milwaukee Bucks have just been dealt a major blow to their season after swingman Jabari Parker suffered a torn ACL. The former no. 2 draft pick has been ruled out for the rest of the season and is expected to miss up to 12 months. This is Parker's second season-ending injury in the last three years.
The injury occurred during the third quarter of the Bucks' game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday. The Bucks say Parker's recovery period will take up to a year meaning he will miss the start of next season. Parker was averaging a career-high 20.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game as one of the Bucks' franchise cornerstones along with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Before the injury, the swingman was not showing any signs of his knee giving him any trouble as he consistently making explosive drives to the hoop. The Bucks were seen as an up-and-coming franchise featuring a young core consisting of All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Parker.
Milwaukee had already been struggling with a healthy Jabari Parker and Antetokounmpo. They were a couple of games above .500 on January 13, but have since gone 2-11 and are currently 11th in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks had hoped that Middleton's return from injury would give the team a boost as they try to push for a playoff spot, but with Parker out it will be a lot more difficult.
Per Sports Illustrated, Parker's history of season-ending injuries have shifted him from being the Bucks' reliable answer to its biggest uncertainty. Back then, their young core consisted of Antetokunmpo, Larry Sanders, and Brandon Knight. While Parker was still trying to reclaim his positive trajectory, Giannis blossomed into an All-Star caliber player, Sanders unexpectedly retired from the NBA, and Knight was traded to the Phoenix Suns.
According to ESPN, the Bucks could still draw a bit of confidence from the 2014-2015 season when they still managed to make a playoff run despite not having Parker who was out for the season after suffering a knee injury in December 2014. Parker would return 11 months later and played 76 games for the Bucks in 2015-2016.
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