Jabari Parker Injury: Updates on Bucks Star's Knee and Return

Joseph ZuckerDec 15, 2014

Jabari Parker hurt his knee against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, and on Tuesday it was reported that the rookie has torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the 2014-15 season.

Continue for updates.

Parker to Have Surgery On Torn ACL

Monday, Jan. 5

Jabari Parker will undergo surgery to repair his torn ACL today, via Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Gardner spoke to Parker about his status and recovery:

"
'I'm pretty enthusiastic because this is a journey that will probably build me for the future and help in my career,' Parker said.
Parker joked that he could run right now.
'I'm getting a better understanding of how the body works and the muscles,' Parker said. 'I just have to take the time out now so I can play as long as possible.'
"

Optimistic Parker Views Injury as Learning Opportunity

Tuesday, Dec. 23

Andrew Gruman of Fox Sports Wisconsin provides comments from Parker:

"
I just don't want people feeling sorry for me," Parker said prior to Tuesday night's game against Charlotte. "Things happen. We get tossed some bumps in our roads. We just have to pick it up and learn from it.
"One of the positive things is I get a brand-new knee. You have to look at longevity. Hopefully this will just be a short thing and I'll be able to return for the career that I want to have."
[...]
"It is just going to day by day," Parker said. "Even if I miss how many days next year, it is just day by day.
"This is not a time off for me. It is more a time for me to learn more. I will get a chance to look outside of the mistakes I used to make and hopefully get better. This is definitely a big opportunity for me.

"

Parker Diagnosed With Torn ACL

Tuesday, Dec. 16

The Bucks made Parker's diagnosis official via the team's website:

"
Bucks forward Jabari Parker suffered a left knee injury during the third quarter of last night’s game in Phoenix. He returned to Milwaukee this afternoon to undergo an MRI that revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee. Parker will undergo surgery to repair the injury and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2014-15 season.
"

This is a devastating blow to an upstart Bucks team that currently sits at the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 13-12 record. If Parker is indeed out for the season, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 draft will finish the season averaging 12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25 games.

Parker Injures Knee vs. Suns

Monday, Dec. 15

The Milwaukee Bucks rookie hurt his left knee and had to be carried back to the locker room on Monday night against the Phoenix Suns, per Paul Coro of AZCentral.com:

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel provided a brief summary of what led to the injury:

The team's Twitter account would later provide an update:

Parker entered the 2014-15 NBA season as one of the most hyped rookies of the past few years. He spent one year at Duke, averaging 19.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists a night. He earned first-team All-America honors.

Although he was picked behind No. 1 overall selection Andrew Wiggins, Parker—the No. 2 pick—was heavily favored by his peers before the season began to take home the Rookie of the Year Award.

According to NBA.com's John Schuhmann, Parker received 52.8 percent of the vote during the official NBA Rookie Photo Shoot in August. Wiggins and Chicago's Doug McDermott were in a tie for second at 8.3 percent.

When asked about that vote by Nancy Lieberman on SiriusXM NBA Radio (h/t Gardner), Parker deflected the praise.

"That's kind of funny," he said. "Because I just have a lot of friends, that's why they nominated me. I don't think so much it's my talent or my skill set that's so highly in my favor. It's just because of the friendships I've made that they favor me."

Parker possesses a unique skill set for somebody 6'8". He's a very good shooter and an above-average rebounder. While not the fleetest of foot, he's athletic enough to play the 3 or 4.

He and Giannis Antetokounmpo have given Bucks fans hopes for the future and look like building blocks for a potential title contender. Milwaukee's still years away from getting there, but there's reason for hope.