Parker is ready for chances with game on the line
Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker had his best game of the season Sunday afternoon against the New Orleans Pelicans, putting up 18 points on 7 of 14 shooting over 24 minutes. For Parker, who returned on Feb. 2 following surgery and rehab on his left anterior cruciate ligament, his points and minutes were both season-highs.
As well as he played, though, it wasn’t hard for his contributions to sort of fall by the wayside. He checked out of the game with 71⁄2minutes left and didn’t return, watching as the Bucks and Pelicans remained locked in a tight battle in a game New Orleans won, 123-121, in overtime.
“I’m pretty used to that,” Parker said. “Once I get out in the fourth quarter I’m probably not getting back in. But that doesn’t mean I’m checking out. I’m always trying to stay involved and engaged and hopefully, I get my chance.”
This part of Parker’s return — being on a minutes limit despite feeling strong and confident on his twice-repaired knee — has been difficult. His minutes have been ramping up over his eight appearances, with two of his three games of 20-plus minutes coming since the all-star break, but he
hasn’t yet been afforded the opportunity to help close out a game.
Parker was in a rhythm offensively Sunday. He used his burst to get to the basket and knocked down a pair of three-pointers on three attempts. His defense is still touch-and-go, but on offense, he was a crucial part of Milwaukee’s attack when he was in the game.
As a competitor, he wants to be on the court. Being held out can be frustrating.
“I have been like that for a little bit, but it was getting in the way of the way that I play, so I just try to stay humble,” Parker said. “And from now on I’ve got to be grateful for any opportunity I get because it beats being out for 12 months.”
Bucks coach Joe Prunty has been impressed by Parker’s pace and ability to make plays, especially while he’s still getting his timing and rhythm back with his teammates.
While there have been slip-ups — including missed opportunities on offense when he and his teammates haven’t been on the same page, as well as on defense when Parker has been caught out of position — but overall, Prunty has seen positive signs from the 2014 No. 2 draft pick.
When it comes to allocating some of Parker’s limited minutes to crunch time — or even subbing him in for a single play for offensive purposes in certain situations — Prunty points to having to manage Parker’s in-game rest periods as a key piece of the decision.
“That’s something that we’ll have to continue to evaluate as we go through this,” Prunty said. “(We have to) try and figure out the timeframe from when his last rest is coming out of the game some time in the fourth quarter to when, if he comes back, making sure that’s not too long of a distance to where he’s — I don’t want to say tired, it’s not fatigue — it’s just the aspect of he’s been out and he’s not loose enough to come back in.”
When it comes to his minutes limit and when it will grow or be lifted, Parker is in the dark. Prunty has often alluded to a plan that the Bucks are constantly looking at and following but hasn’t revealed anything further.
Parker just knows that right now his main objective is to continue to get better.
“I’m not sure, I wish I had that answer,” Parker said. “And I’m not saying it just to say it. It’s just whatever they tell me at this point. I’m not in control of my minutes, so whatever I do, what I can do, I’m grateful for.”
Parker does expect he will play in Tuesday’s 7 p.m. game against the Washington Wizards at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, but he’s not sure if he’ll play Wednesday in Detroit against the Pistons. He hasn’t played in back-toback games yet this season.
“We’ve had a lot of discussions about that and it’s something we’re going to continue talking about and keep with the plan we have in place for right now,” Prunty said. “We’ve got an idea and we’ve discussed it and we’ll leave it at that for now.”
The important thing is Parker feels right physically. There haven’t been any setbacks with his injury, he’s confident in his skills and feels like he’s playing at the same level he was before the injury last February.
Those are all good things, especially considering Parker hopes his continued progress will open up opportunities to major successes later this season and in the future.
“I want to improve a big amount because I have dreams of just wrapping up this whole rehab process and making it one of the best stories ever,” Parker said. “So with that, I’ve just got to keep working hard and keep my mentality at the most positive.”