Bucks' Parker optimistic after season-ending surgery

Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker isn't letting an ACL tear get him down.

The second overall pick of the 2014 draft opened up prior to the Bucks' loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday. Parker, who will spend the remainder of this season rehabbing his injured knee, sounded positive about his unfortunate predicament.

"One of the positive things is I get a brand-new knee," Parker quipped to ESPN. "You've got to look at longevity. Hopefully this will just be a short thing and I'll be able to return to the career I want to have."

Parker said he isn't frustrated and will try to spend the time off learning from the mistakes he made in the 25 games he logged this season.

"This is not a time off for me. It is more a time for me to learn more," Parker said. "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 was pegged as an early favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year. Logging time at both forward positions, Parker averaged 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 29.5 minutes per game.