Jabari Parker or Giannis Antetokounmpo: Who Has Bigger 2014-15 Season for Bucks?
Make no mistake about it, debating who has a bigger season for the Milwaukee Bucks between Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo is a win-win situation for fans of the franchise.
Despite their differences in style of play, both men are supremely talented and will both certainly make their impact felt on the court this season.
However, despite being a rookie, it's Parker who is bound for the better year.
With his polished offensive skill set, knowledge of the game and natural leadership qualities, the youngster is poised for a huge rookie campaign.
Let's take a closer look as to why.
Offense
The biggest value Parker brings to the table—and does so immediately—is his ability to score in a variety of ways.
It's no secret that the Bucks struggled to score in 2013-14, evidenced by the team finishing 28th in points per game and 26th in field-goal percentage.
Parker's addition immediately provides Milwaukee with a multifaceted, go-to scoring threat who tends to convert at a relatively high percentage.
In his lone season at Duke, Parker impressed by showing he could score with a smooth—albeit somewhat inconsistent—jump shot and by dominating smaller defenders in the post.
The 6'8" forward converted 50.4 percent of his two-point attempts for the Blue Devils and connected on a respectable 35.8 percent of his threes.
And, as you can see below, in the Las Vegas Summer League Parker continued to demonstrate his versatility.
Whether it was in transition, in the paint or off the dribble, Parker showed he could score in a multitude of ways.
Ultimately, that's what separates him from Antetokounmpo.
Sure, the Greek Freak showed improvement over the summer, but he's still very raw when it comes to his offensive prowess. On the other hand, Parker's fluidity and readiness offensively is impressive well beyond his level of experience.
With a lack of scoring being one of the team's most glaring weak spots, Parker's ability to step in and score in the neighborhood of 18.0 points per game is priceless.
A season ago, Brandon Knight was the team's only consistent scoring option. Even if O.J. Mayo experiences a renaissance of sorts, the Bucks aren't a high-powered offense.
Considering his skill set offensively, Parker is not only invaluable but also poised for a big year.
Basketball IQ
While Antetokounmpo is certainly growing as a player from a knowledge standpoint, he still lacks the exposure to the game from a young age, and that's something that gives guys like Parker an advantage.
According to an article by Jim Owczarski of OnMilwaukee.com from a year ago, Antetokounmpo had only been playing basketball for just five years prior to the 2013-14 season:
"Giannis turns 19 on Dec. 16. Young, but not that young. For example, Kansas University's Andrew Wiggins, the projected No. 1 draft pick in next year's draft, will turn 19 two months and seven days later. Giannis is years behind American and European teenagers deemed NBA ready, however. He's been playing basketball for five years. He's been 6-9 for a few months.
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That's not a lot of time to be playing competitive basketball, especially when you compare that to what Parker has been doing since a very young age.
Back in 2011, Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated wrote the following blurb about Parker, showing that his days of dominating on the court go back a long way:
"Jabari discovered his love for the game through his dad's basketball leagues. By the time he was in second grade, Jabari was playing against -- and dominating -- kids who were three years older. He played middle school basketball when he was in fifth grade.
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And despite his problems turning the ball over during the summer and his lone season at Duke—he committed 2.3 turnovers per game—Parker is still a very heady player.
The rookie has a natural feel for the flow of the game, and you'll rarely see him getting too frazzled with the ball in his hands. While he can tend to force jump shots unnecessarily, a lot of that had to do with the fact he was so heavily relied upon during his one season at Duke.
It's easy for a rookie to get excited and try to force things, but once he settles in, Parker won't be as turnover prone.
Regardless of the turnovers, though, Parker understands the game.
And being a student of it for so long, you would hope so.
In an article by Gery Woelfel of the (Racine, Wis.) Journal Times Sonny Parker—Jabari's father—commented on his son's infatuation with watching old games:
"Sonny Parker said his son is driven to excel and has seriously studied the pro game for years, Sonny said Jabari has become almost obsessed with watching the classic games on NBA TV and YouTube, trying to glean knowledge from the game’s legendary players.
Sonny said Jabari was particularly interested in players who exhibited an all-around game.
“Jabari is a throw-back; he watches old-school basketball games all the time,’’ Sonny Parker said. “He’s watched Bob Cousy and Earl Monroe and Jerry West and Pete Maravich.
“And he likes Oscar Robertson; he likes Magic Johnson, he likes those types of players. Larry Bird is another one. He likes well-rounded players, the guys who can shoot, rebound and pass. He likes their versatility.’’
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Does that really mean much? Maybe not.
But how often does a 19-year-old rookie model his game after old school names like the aforementioned ones?
If nothing else, it's a fresh take and shows Parker has his mind focused on the game instead of the extracurriculars.
Leadership
Antetokounmpo has a fiery, competitive and infectious personality that is probably great in the locker room atmosphere.
All of that aside, it's hard to picture him as a leader at this point.
Meanwhile, Parker is coming off a year in which he played for Coach K, one of the greatest minds in basketball history, and likely was able to take plenty away from that experience.
At times during his lone season in Durham, Parker got rattled and visibly showed frustration. He also struggled to rally his teammates during stretches of the game that absolutely required it.
But, ultimately, his one season at Duke provided one of the best learning environments a college basketball player can obtain.
The Bucks need a player of Parker's mentality to take control of the team.
Larry Sanders is passionate, but his inability to remain poised has led to issues on and off the court, as we saw in 2013-14.
And while Knight demonstrated some ability to lead last season, he doesn't appear to be the guy to do so for the long term.
Point being: This is Parker's team.
Just as he will be expected to produce, he will also be expected to lead this team.
And, according to Parker himself, that's something he's willing to embrace (per Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel):
""It's been good because I've been able to have a voice on my team," Parker said of his initial Bucks experience. "The guys have been doing a good job listening to me, and I've been listening to them.
"That's a good aspect I want to have, especially coming with the Bucks. I just want to be a leader, use my wisdom as much as possible."
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Taking on the role of leader is not an easy decision to make for some people.
The fact that Parker is so willing to dive right into it speaks volumes about his character and shows that he'll be part of the organization for as long as he chooses to be.
Not to mention, it's just the final reason why the rookie will ultimately put together a better season than the Greek Freak.
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