In abbreviated debut, Jabari reminds Bucks what he has to offer
It's a bit of a tired cliche, but for the Milwaukee Bucks, their most important pre-deadline acquisition may have already been on the roster.
Jabari Parker played his first game in almost a year on Friday night against the New York Knicks, and while he was kept on a strict 15-minute limit as the Bucks ease him back into a normal workload, the fourth-year forward offered a glimpse of what he can offer the team for the remainder of the season.
The clearest area to which Parker should be able contribute is half-court offense. The Bucks boast one of the league's most lethal open-court attacks, but in the half court they often grow slow, stagnant, and predictable. One of the most encouraging signs from Parker's season debut was how decisive he was. The first time he touched the ball, he stuck a jumper from the short corner. He looked comfortable putting the ball on the floor, attacking along the baseline and getting to the rim with ease. On one early possession, he burned Michael Beasley off the dribble and rose up for an incredibly ambitious dunk attempt on Kyle O'Quinn. (He didn't complete it, but he earned a pair of free throws.) Later on, he drove right at Kristaps Porzingis, hit him with a hesitation dribble, and looked him off before dropping in a floater.
He did work in transition, too, running the floor eagerly and effectively as the Bucks pushed the pace off defensive rebounds. On one leakout, he made an incredible catch on the opposite baseline, tiptoeing to stay in bounds while corralling the ball, before laying it in. Another runout saw him establish early position against a mismatched Frank Ntilikina to draw a foul. All told, he put up 12 points in his 15 minutes, shooting 4-of-7 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line.
His lift didn't look like it was all the way back - he clanked a reverse dunk attempt off the rim, and struggled to get off the ground for rebounds - and, after two major knee surgeries, it may never get all the way back. But he moved his feet well, and his feel was very much still there.
Nearly all of his minutes came with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the bench, and it makes sense for the Bucks to continue using him as an offensive fulcrum with bench-heavy units while he works his way toward a starter's workload. That meant he was mostly set up to attack one-on-one, rather than cutting or using off-ball screens, and that when he got the ball he was almost always looking for his own offense, rather than creating for others. His off-ball indolence became glaring during his third-quarter stint, which proved far less fruitful than his two first-half shifts. The Bucks struggled to create space or puncture the Knicks' defense, which was loading up on the strong side. Parker did a lot of standing around, hardly touched the ball, and didn't attempt a shot. The Bucks scored just three points in five minutes.
Also worth keeping an eye on: Parker's defense, long a point of weakness for him. There were still some sketchy possessions for him on that end, instances in which he blew a switch, was late on a rotation, or got rubbed out on a screen. His individual defense, though, was mostly solid. He hung with Porzingis on the few occasions he was asked to guard the 7-foot-3 star, staying attached to his hip and forcing misses on a couple drives. He stayed on his feet as Beasley looked to bait him, and offered strong contests on jumpers. He even bodied Enes Kanter in the post and forced a turnover. Parker may never be an ace team defender, but if he can hang with guys at all three frontcourt positions in man-to-man situations, that would be a positive development.
All in all, it was a strong debut for the 22-year-old. The Bucks may yet have a move to make before the deadline, but in just 15 minutes, it became clear that they've already added an important piece for the stretch run.