Jabari Parker to Make Season Debut Friday After Recovering from ACL Surgery

Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker will make his 2017-18 debut on Friday against the New York Knicks, the Bucks announced Monday.

"Jabari has worked extremely hard with our medical, performance and coaching staffs to get to this point," Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a statement on the team's official website. "He's passed all the tests and been cleared to return by our team physician Dr. William Raasch of the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network. Just as important, Jabari feels ready to play and we're excited for his return to game action on Friday."

Injuries have been a dominant theme throughout Parker's NBA career. He appeared in 25 games as a rookie before suffering a season-ending torn ACL. Then, after a largely injury free 2015-16 season, he tore his ACL again in February 2017, which was expected to cause him to miss a calendar year.

The timing of Parker's second knee injury was a source of additional frustration. He was averaging 20.1 points and 6.2 rebounds a game and shooting 36.5 percent from beyond the arc—fulfilling the potential he showed coming out of Duke.

Derrick Rose is evidence as to the effect persistent knee injuries can have on a player's career, and it's fair to wonder whether Parker will be another cautionary tale.

The Bucks have played well in Parker's absence to start the season, putting together a 26-22 record entering Monday. Most importantly, Giannis Antetokounmpo has become one of the best players in the league, and the acquisition of point guard Eric Bledsoe addressed what was Milwaukee's biggest personnel need.

Assuming he can be as effective on the court as he was a year ago, Parker should help the Bucks push for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.