The Milwaukee Bucks are looking positively at the possibility of the 2014 2nd overall pick in the NBA draft, Jabari Parker, making his return from an injury to his left knee to make it to Bucks camp when it starts up on September 29th in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Bucks are certainly going to proceed with caution in bringing back Parker as they don’t want to take any risks of re injuring Parker’s knee and causing potential permanent damage to the player who the Bucks are hoping will become their franchise cornerstone in the coming years.
“We’re not going to rush him back. This is a bigger picture,” coach Jason Kidd said.
Parker has been progressing properly and on schedule since the injruy, an ACL tear that occurred in December of last season, ending Parker’s season after just 25 games. His teammates and the organization have been excited by his progress, but they have been unwilling to answer questions about whether or not Parker will be ready for action by the beginning of the regular season.
“If we think he can play 30 minutes, we’ll probably play him 15,” general manager John Hammond said. “Wherever he might be, we’re always going to be cautious with him.”
Luckily for the Bucks, they can afford to be cautious with Parker, as they have a deep young roster, and will be able to be somewhat competitive even before Parker is back at full strength. There is a lot of optimism about Parker when he does eventually returns. Before his injury last season, Parker was averaging 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
The Bucks made a run to the playoffs last season, much to the surprise of most of the league, and as a result expectations both internally and externally have risen. The Bucks are also planning on building a new arena in downtown Milwaukee. The return of Jabari Parker will, the Bucks hope, help the Bucks live up to those expectations.
“For Jabari, he’s had a chance to be in the weight room and he’s worked extremely hard there,” Kidd said. “Now it’s just a matter of time under his belt to get back to playing basketball.”